Twisted Fate
by Purpledragon93
Summary: "Humans are friends, not food." When Annabell moves to town, it was only a week later that the Cullens left. They thought they would be changing her future. They thought they would be protecting her. They were wrong. (Companion story of Fate Be Damned) [On HIATUS until I finish Fate Be Damned because I can't do two stories at once. I have not given up on this, just have NO time.]
1. Chapter 1: First Day Dramas

Chapter 1: First Day Dramas

"Okay, Ann. Just breath. You can do this. It's not like you've never had to do new things before," I said to myself. Although I've never had to switch schools before. I glanced up at the red brick buildings of Forks High School, eyeing the building almost warily. Well, at least it was just about the same size as my old one had been.

I caught my eyes in the rear view mirror as I gave myself a once over. I looked pale, paler than I usually did. I pinched my cheeks, trying to bring some color back to my face. It only left my cheeks red. My light brown hair framed my face on either side, a curtain that fell to the bottom of my rib-cage. My eyes, a misty gray, were slightly too wide in that moment, anxiety showing clear in them.

I pursed my lips as I considered my reflection, trying to get control of my emotions. I looked like mom.

I immediately shied away from that thought. I wouldn't let myself think about that, not now.

Okay, one more deep breath and then lets go. I could feel my hands shaking as I climbed out of my navy blue car. It was a second hand one that my dad had bought me when we moved here. At least I would have some way of getting around now that I actually had my license.

I kept my head low as I headed towards one of the small brick buildings that had the word office labeled on the outside of it.

Stepping through the door, I sighed at the warmth that greeted me. It was a small bit of heaven from the cool rain outside. There was a receptionist sitting behind the desk wearing a pink suit with a skirt. She was brave, a skirt in this chill. I almost felt at home.

Her blue eyes flashed up to mine when I walked in and she smiled. "You must be our new student."

I could feel my stomach start to relax at the friendliness she exuded. "I'm Annabell Evans."I told her, taking a step closer.

"Isn't that wonderful. I have your schedule right here." She handed me a piece of paper that had a list of classes and another that had a map. The next five minutes she spent highlighting each building I had classes in and then she even drew the best route to each. Although I wasn't horrible at directions and I was sure I could have found it on my own, I was happy to listen. Now I would at least have some clue about where I was going. The last thing she gave me was a slip that all the teachers were supposed to sign.

I turned, pausing before the door. I really didn't want to go back out in the drizzle that had started. I willed the heat around me to stay before pushing the door open. Let's see, first class is English. Well, that should at least be fun. I had been in the AP class back at my old high school so this class should be relatively easy.

As I walked into the classroom I saw that it was decent sized. There were twenty or so desks that were in a circle, about half of them full. I ignored the stares that greeted me as I walked up to the teacher, Mr. Mason. I held out the sheet for him to sign and without really even looking he did so before waving at one of the seats that were still open.

I sat back, watching as the teacher lectured about Shakespeare's Hamlet for an hour. It was a play that I had already read and found dull. I didn't mind most of his sonnets but all the characters in his plays seemed to stupid a bit too dramatic for my taste.

I sighed as the bell finally rang, signaling the next class. Before I could even stand up from my seat a boy a few desk down was in front of me. He had dark hair and an open smile. "You're Anna Evans, aren't you?"

"Annabell." I corrected, slinging my bag onto my back. I was already starting to walk towards the door.

"What's your next class?" He asked.

"History." I read it off and groaned. Out of all the classes, that had to be the worst.

"I can show you the way. I'm Eric by the way." He said, extending his hand.

I shook it, smiling for real now. "That would be wonderful."

He led the way as we stepped back out into the drizzle. I glared at the sky, sure that it was only raining to annoy me.

"So where did you move from?" He asked.

"Maine."

His eyes widened slightly. "Wow. That must be really different from here." He said.

I shrugged. "Well, it snows nine months of the year and hails the other three." I almost wanted to laugh as I quoted _How to Train your Dragon_.

"Really?" Eric asked, his mouth agape.

I couldn't help chuckling at his expression.

He looked down, his cheeks tinting pink as he stopped outside a classroom. "Well this is it. Maybe I'll see you around today."

I gave him one last smile before heading inside. I had another signature to get.

Throughout that class the drone of the history teacher almost put me to sleep but I somehow managed to stay awake. After that it was Trigonometry and then Art. Thank the heavens for that small sanctuary. As I walked in I could feel myself relaxing already as the smell of glazes and paint took over my senses.

I walked up to the teacher, Mrs. Thomas. She smiled as she informed me that they had just started working on portraits. I took a seat at one of the round tables that littered the room and set my bag down as she started giving instructions. We were going to be working in partners for the next few weeks, working on drawing each other. First we would do pencils before we went to ink and then paint. "Okay, pair up."

Almost instantly everyone seemed to be in pairs of friends, I looked around, but there didn't seem to be any stragglers. Mrs. Thomas must have seen me struggling. "Don't worry. I'll find someone to partner with you."

I smiled back, thankful for the help. I really hated being the new kid. I turned to start setting up my station. Pencil, eraser, paper and over-sized clipboard. It was then I heard someone plop down in the seat across from me.

I glanced over and and I was just able to keep my mouth from falling open as I looked at her. She was cute, no, that wasn't right it made her sound too little. Adorable, gorgeous, all of them above. She was super tiny and had short pixie-cut hair. She was as pale as could be, even paler than me. Her eyes were black but that only seemed to heighten her elfin beauty.

"Hi, I'm Alice. Mrs. Thomas asked if I would partner up with you." She smiled, her teeth blindingly white.

"Um, hi." Okay, come on. You can say something better than that. "I'm Annabell."

"It's nice to meet you." She said as she started to set up her materials as well.

"So, would you like to go first or should I?" I asked.

She shrugged her shoulders, not really seeming to care.

I sighed, I hate when people wouldn't make up their minds. It made my decisions so much harder. "Well, why don't you go first then."

She quickly moved me around until she got me into a position that she deemed was good enough to draw. She had me look a little higher then her head and at a wall, my body turned slightly to the side. I felt like I was posing for another school picture. Silence descended as everyone got to work.

We were about five minutes in when Alice spoke up. "So you're from Maine, right?"

"Yup." I replied, before trying to come up with something else to say. "What about you? Have you lived here your whole life?"

She smiled and shook her head. "My family and I just moved down here a few years ago. We lived in Alaska before that."

I felt my eyes widen. "And I thought where I lived was cold."

She snorted, her smile widening.

I watched from the corner of my eye as her arm moved across the paper in graceful arcs, her pencil never pausing. Her black eyes would flicker to me and away before continuing. She made it look too easy.

When she didn't say anything else, I focused on the quite chatter that filled the room instead, enjoying the symphony of voices. The sounds of pencil scratching was relaxing even though I could hear the drag of an eraser every now and then. I could almost imagine myself back home. Any minute now I would hear the voice of Mr. B as he instructed us on our next task but as soon as I thought that, I couldn't help but flinch. We would never be moving back home, not after what happened.

It was a few minutes that Mrs. Thomas had us switch. Now it was my turn to draw Alice but as I looked at her, I wasn't sure where to start. I knew I wouldn't be able to do her justice.

After a bit of contemplation I started on her eyes, drawing the dark holes.

A half hour later, I had a rough sketch of Alice but the eyes were the only things that I was proud of. I had made her nose a little too small and her chin a little too wide. It would take some work.

"Can I see?" She asked, almost bouncing in her seat.

I bit my lip, not sure how she would react. "Okay, but don't be mad at me."

I showed her and her face immediately scrunched in distaste. I couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "Hey, it's at least better than a stick figure."

She chuckled in agreement.

Soon after that the bell rang.

Finally, lunch.

I gathered my stuff and made my way outside. Thankfully the cafeteria was pretty easy to locate, even if I the groups of kids moving in that directions didn't give it away. As I pushed open the door, the noise died down an notch as eyes turned to me. I instantly bit my lip and ducked my head, avoiding them all.

The line for food moved quickly and thankfully I was able to fill my tray but now was the real problem. Where to sit? Before I could stand there awkwardly for too long a girl detached herself from a table and approached. Jessica, a girl I had Trig with. She was tiny, especially compared to my 5'8'' frame but her head of curly hair seemed to make up at least three of the inches that she lacked. I could already tell that she was the center of the schools rumor-mill but right now I didn't care.

"You're welcome to come sit with my friends and I." She said, smiling wide.

I nodded, too thankful to speak right now.

Jessica led the way to her table but I could still feel all the eyes on me.

Thankfully, as we sat with her group of friends as she named them off. There was a blonde kid named Mike and another guy named Tyler. There were also two girls, one named Lauren and the other Angela. The first rolled her eyes as Jessica introduced me while the second girl smiled shyly. I took the empty seat next to her as Jessica kept rattling stuff off.

I have to say that her chatter was nice in the fact that it kept everyone occupied. She hadn't started asking me questions yet, only filled me in on who people were and the gossip that surrounded them. I listened halfheartedly, as I nibbled on my lunch. When Jessica finally paused, turning to someone else, I took the chance to glance over to Angela. She had an air of innocence around her, a sereneness in her gaze that made me a little bit more comfortable asking her a few questions. She caught my eyes as I opened my mouth and that was when I noticed them.

Of the five the only one I recognized was Alice. She sat next to guy with blonde hair that was almost a little to long for a guys hairstyle. Still, he seemed to pull it off even with the frown he was wearing. When Alice saw me she smiled and nodded her head before turning back to the blonde boy. Next to them was another couple. The boy looked way too big to be student. His arms bulged with muscles that I hadn't even seen on football players. The girl next to him looked like a model straight off the runway, her golden hair falling in waves to the middle of her back. The last one, a boy with reddish-brown hair seemed almost overshadowed by the ones surrounding him.

Alice had seemed friendly and kind but seeing all of them together like this, there was definitely something off about them. Perhaps it was the fact that they looked so similar with their pales skin but so different at the same time from the various hair colors to their different body builds.

I looked back around to see Jessica staring at me with wide eyes. "You know the Cullens?"

I shook my head. "Not really. I had Alice in a class." I explained. "Who are the rest?"

Jessica smirked. I almost rolled my eyes at the gleam I could see in her eyes but refrained from the motion. "The one with Alice is Jasper. The other couple is Rosalie and Emmett. They are all together though, like together together and they live together."

"But are they siblings?" I asked, incredulously. I could tell by her smile that it was the right reaction.

"No, they were all adopted. Jasper and Rosalie are siblings, twins I think, Mrs. Cullen is there aunt or something like that. I think it's weird though. I mean Mr. and Mrs. Cullen are still really young and they already have five kids." She explained.

I shrugged it off. I've heard weirder stories. "It just means that they were kind to take in those kids. They're lucky they got out of the foster system." I said, feeling defensive.

I could see wheels turning at that comment but I ignored it. I could already tell that Jessica and I wouldn't be the best of friends.

"Whatever. It's still kind of creepy though." She rolled her eyes before looking back at the table. When she did her eyes caught on something before she smiled. "Edward Cullen is looking at you."

I raised an eyebrow before twisting to see what she meant. The last guy of the group, the one she hadn't named off, was staring at me as she had said, his black eyes boring into mine. I felt my breath catch in my throat before turning back towards the table. That was odd. He had black eyes just like Alice did.

I risked another glance at him but he was turned back to his own table. Emmett across from him seemed to be smiling at something he said.

I shrugged it away and went back to my lunch. I only had a few more minutes before the next class started. When the bell finally rung, Angela ended up walking me there and I was thankful for the quiet. Now seemed like a good chance to ask my question. "Hey Angela, do you know if this school has a cheering team?"

She smiled and nodded. "They're not the best but they aren't bad either. They perform at pep-rallies every now and then. If you want to know more you'll have to ask Lauren though, she's on the team."

I nodded, tucking that piece of information away. At least now I knew who to ask.

As we walked into biology I sighed, already stressing over this. Science was by far my worst class. Where as social studies just put me to sleep, science I didn't understand.

Angela waved goodbye as she went to sit next to her lab partner. As I scanned the class I noticed that there was only one open seat towards the back and I could recognize Edward Cullen from the back of his head. Well, Alice seemed friendly enough so maybe this wouldn't be too bad.

I walked up the aisle to get the teacher to sign the slip. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him stiffen and glance over at me but I was already too far past to see the expression on his face. Mr. Banner signed the slip and then handed me a book as I went to sit next to Edward.

I smiled as I sat. "Hello."

I watched as he nodded and then turned towards the wall, glaring. Okay, maybe this class would was going to be that bad. I pulled out my notebook, preparing myself to mentally.

The lesson started as Edward remained stiff beside me. Thankfully, Mr. Banner was talking about something that we had just finished in my old school which meant I was a little ahead. The next few weeks shouldn't be too bad then, especially if it would all just be review. I was happy about that. It would give me time to adjust and settle in before I had to seriously start worrying about my science grade.

As Mr. Banner kept lecturing, Edward seemed frozen beside me. I tried to keep writing my notes but I couldn't help but glance over to him every now and then. It was like he had become a statue made out of marble. Towards the end of the class I caught his head turning in my direction and I forced myself to look at the board. I wouldn't meet his stare, I wouldn't be bothered by the glare I could almost feel being drilled into my head.

I felt a chill run down my spine and I remember what I had thought earlier when I had seen all the Cullens together in the cafeteria. There was definitely something off about them.

The bell rang, jumping me from my musing. Edward stood, shoving his chair back and he raced towards the door. I stared after him, in complete shock at how he had acted. Jesus Christ, he must be dysfunctional or something.

Asshole! I couldn't help the thought as it crossed my mind. He paused at the door, tilting his head to the side as if I had said it out loud before he raced out.

I stood stiffly, trying to hold the anger in as I thought about maybe saying something to Alice tomorrow in art, but then again I probably didn't know her well enough to be approaching a subject like that.

Mike jogged to my side, smiling happily as he grabbed my bag from my hand. I was in a bad enough mood that I almost ripped it back out of his but instead I took a breath and smiled. I wouldn't let that jerks attitude ruin my day, especially when it had been going so well.

"You have gym next, right?" he asked, a happy gleam in his eye.

I nodded, knowing that he had overheard me talking with Angela about it.

"Great, we can walk there together. I have it too."

I smiled again. At least some people still have manners. As Mike led the way he started talking about how he had moved from California when he was a kid so he knew how it felt to be the new kid. I listened to him words, just enjoying the chatter even if I wasn't taking part in it.

"So what was up with Cullen? It looked like you stabbed him with a pencil or something." Mike said.

Great so that wasn't his usual behavior. I guess that meant he wasn't dysfunctional but then why had he been so rude? "I don't know. I didn't even say a word to the guy." I said shrugging. Actually never mind, I had said hello but it's not like that would elicit an angry response.

"Wow, I mean if I had gotten lucky enough to be your lab partner I would of at least talked to you." He said, winking.

I giggled at his response. Not because I found it charming but more because it had seemed like a practiced line. It made me wonder if he had spent all of Biology trying to come up with it.

I walked into the changing room, getting into the gym clothes that I had brought. I could tell from the set up that volleyball was going on.

As the teacher started putting everyone in teams, I ended up with both Jessica and Mike. I was just glad that I knew some people. The games started up and it went pretty smoothly. When it was my turn to serve I used all my strength and hit it to the back edge of their court. No one moved, thinking it would go out of bounds but there was a cheer from my team as it hit directly inside and then bounced out. Oh, how I loved sports.

Gym passed quickly and by the end of it my mood was drastically better. My annoyance with Cullen had disappeared. I changed up, heading towards the office with my slip that had all the teachers signatures. I was ready to jump in my car and head away from campus.

As I opened the door to the office, I paused seeing Edward talking with Ms. Cope. As I listened I realized that he was trying to get out of our shared biology class. The anger flared back up as I glared at his back, my hands folding over my chest. What the hell!

Just then someone walked in, leaving a slip in a basket besides Edward as he stiffened. He glanced back at me, meeting my glare, before seeming to give up at his endeavor. "I can see that it isn't possible." He said, his voice silky even with the hard edge to it.

I didn't take my eyes off him as he passed, resisting the urge to stick my foot out and trip him. It probably wouldn't work anyways. When he was gone, I stepped up to the desk, holding the slip out.

"How was you first day dear?" She asked, seeming breathless.

I forced a smile. "Perfect."

I left after that.

It had taken me a good half hour to calm down after what had occurred. As I sat in my car, outside the elementary school, I mumbled to myself, annoyed with his attitude. I was usually a nice person but when someone was an ass for no reason, it was only understandable for my temper to flare.

After sighing I grabbed out my trig book, deciding I would do some of my homework while I waited. After another half hour I looked up, hearing a bell ringing. It seemed like they were finally letting the kids out of school.

I got out of my car, waiting for the familiar mop of brown hair. Alisha was my little sister, all of seven years old. She had the same color hair as me but that was where our resemblance stopped. Where I looked more like our mom, she took after our dad. Her hair had small waves in it, causing the bottom to gently curl. Her blue eyes were the epitome of innocence, her lips always upturned in a smile.

I watched as she walked out the front door of the school, holding hands with another girl. When she saw me she waved before turning to her friends and saying goodbye. She made her way to me, a bounce in her step. She definitely was the cutest little sister.

"Anny!" She yelled, grabbing my leg.

I laughed, reaching down and giving her a hug. "How was school?"

Her small teeth showed through her smile. "My teacher is really nice. She asked me to read something to her and said that I did really good. Emily asked if I could come over and play sometime. She's really nice and she has a book-bag just like mine. We had pizza for lunch and it was really good but there was this boy who dropped his on the floor and he just picked it up and ate it anyways."

I laughed as her face scrunched up in disgust. Oh the ramblings of a second-grader. She continued to tell me about her day as we climbed in the car and drove home.

Our new house was a relatively small, two story building. It was painted white with light blue shutters. The first floor featured a kitchen, living room and bathroom. The second floor consisted of three bedrooms and a bathroom off my dad's room. Alisha and my own rooms were right next to each other which helped whenever she had nightmares.

As I walked through the front door, I had to bite my tongue from calling out the standard greeting. It was bad, that even now, six months later I was still felt the urge to say it, when I knew that no one would answer.

I set my bag in the living room as I moved to the kitchen, preparing a bowl of crackers and peanut butter as an afternoon snack.

When I brought it out to Alisha, she already had the tv going, watching one of her favorite shows. I set the snack next to her as I started working on my homework again. An hour later I was almost done with my homework. As Alisha's show finished up she pulled out her own simple worksheets and we sat together in silence, the scratching of our pencils the only sound. I looked over and couldn't help but smile. She was leaning over her paper, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she focused on making neat letters.

I reached forward and ruffled her hair as she pouted. "So what do you want for dinner tonight? We should make something for when dad gets home."

The pout vanished as she perked up. "Can we have pizza? Or macaroni and cheese? What about ice cream?"

I laughed as she started the long list of her favorite foods. Now the hard part was just getting her to pick one of them.


	2. Chapter 2: Passing Time

Chapter 2: Passing Time

If the first day of school had been bad, the second day was much worse. Sure, I knew where my classes were and I even knew a few people but that didn't help in the long run.

Everyone was still staring at me when I pulled in with my car. It was as if I was the new box of crayons and everyone wanted their turn. The people who hadn't introduced themselves yesterday did so today and they made sure to ask as many questions as they could think of. A lot of them were repeats and I found I just kept getting more annoyed the longer than lasted. As the day wore on, I found myself giving whatever excuses I could think of to just get away from all the prying eyes.

By the time art came around I was thankful for the sanctuary. The people in this class seemed to be able to mind their own business at least.

I started on my drawing of Alice, trying to fix the things I had messed up on yesterday. As I glanced up at her though, couldn't help remembering how rude her brother had acted in the one shared class we had together. He had been downright awful and I had only said one words to him. I didn't deserve that sort of treatment.

Perhaps I could ask her if there was anything going on with him or if he was just generally a dick to everyone. I had finally decided to do so but before I could open my mouth to speak I heard Alice heave a sigh. Her golden eyes were wistful and I wondered what could cause it. Maybe I should ask if she was okay but at the same time maybe it was too personal. Oh, fuck it.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, glancing away from my drawing.

She nodded, although she looked solemn as she did so. "I'm just a little sorry that I won't be able to finish this project with you." She said, sounding truly remorseful.

I could feel my head tilting in curiosity. "What do you mean?" I questioned, hoping I wasn't prying to much, I mean she had brought it up.

"Well, my family is moving at the end of this week." She told me, glancing around the room as if she was trying to memorize it.

Her answer surprised me enough that my hand jerked, a dark line appearing over my drawing of her. I quickly worked to erase it, my cheeks feeling hot as I did so.

"I'm sorry," I said, completely earnest. "I didn't realize."

"It just sucks. When we moved down here two years ago our dad said this was the last time but now we have to move again." She explained, looking disgruntled. "It's not fair but he got offered a job down south that he just can't turn down."

"It must be hard on all of you." I mused. I had only moved once and that was bad enough. I couldn't imagine moving again, especially as much as they seemed to. She had made it sound like Alaska wasn't there first home so I had to wonder how many times they have moved all together.

She nodded, biting her lip. "It's the worst on Edward though. He really likes it here." She gave another wistful sigh before she fell silent. "We didn't get much warning about it either. We were just told yesterday morning."

As I took in her words, I was slightly surprised. Perhaps that was why he had been such a jerk. If he was being forced to move, he was probably in one of those I hate the whole world moods right now. So maybe I should just leave him alone when it comes to Biology. If he wants to start a conversation or say hi, then he can. I'll just act like he doesn't exist until then so that way I won't get any death glares. But at the same time that doesn't explain why he was trying to get out of our one shared class. If he was moving, why even bother trying to switch classes? My eyes narrowed at the thought.

The rest of art passed rather quickly after that and then it was time for lunch. As I headed for the cafeteria, I was contemplating how Edward would act this time, both in the cafeteria and in class. I grabbed my tray of food and walked with Jessica, she had ambushed me as soon as I walked through the doors, to the table with all of her friends. I made sure that I was able to snag one of the seats next to Angela, her being the only one that I genuinely liked so far. Jessica talked too much and Lauren seemed like too much of a snob.

I watched for the entire lunch period for Edward to walk in. I wanted to assess his mood before we went to class but even after his siblings showed up, he never did.

"Staring at the Cullens again?" Jessica asked, smirking. She was twirling her fork in her hand and seemed to be finding my behavior amusing.

I shrugged. "I was just wondering where Edward was." I said, truthfully, turning back to my own lunch.

She snorted. "Oh, please. Don't even attempt it. Edward isn't interested in any of the girls around here." She violently stabbed her burger with the fork she was holding.

I assumed that he had rejected her at some point. "I wasn't planning on it." I said. "Alice said they were all moving at the end of this week anyways."

Her eyes flashed open and she pounced, well at least metaphorically. Apparently this was the first anyone had heard about it. After finding that out, I felt guilty that I had mentioned it to begin with. Jessica wanted a play by play detail of the conversation but that would mean telling about Edward's behavior yesterday.

I did my best to divert her attention but when that didn't work I stood, pleading not feeling well. I was halfway to the garbage with my tray when I looked up. Rosalie, was glaring at me, her eyes a dead black. My heart missed a beat before stuttering in overdrive but I wouldn't let myself be intimidated, or at least I wouldn't look like I was. I gave her my brightest smile and waved cheerfully at her.

I could see her scoff before she turned back to her table.

I rolled my eyes and dumped my tray before heading to biology. I waited, slightly anxious for him to show but by the time the finally bell rang for class to begin, I had to assume that he wouldn't be coming.

The next three days mirrored that one and Edward continued to be MIA. Alice was still friendly in art but she was also distant now. On Friday, our last day together, she seemed a little on edge though she didn't speak until the end of class.

"It was nice meeting you," she told me. "I think that if we weren't moving we would have been great friends."

I nodded. I could easily see that happening. It was kind of sad that we wouldn't be able to though. Maybe we could keep in contact over phone or email. It was better than nothing and Alice seemed like a really sweet girl.

"Do me a favor and just, try to avoid the woods, okay?" She asked, her eyes pleading with me for a second before she turned and practically floated out the door.

Her request was odd and I found myself wondering what was so bad about the woods. It's not like there were many animal attacks. The forest seemed rather safe, especially with all the easily marked trails that could be followed.

I shrugged it off, continuing onto lunch. It was a surprise to see that none of the Cullens showed up to lunch at all that day. Maybe they were leaving today or maybe they just decided to skip the last part of school. I shrugged it off, counting down the hours until school would be out for myself.

The weekend passed and when Monday came around again, none of the Cullens returned to school. They vanished with nothing left to show that they had ever even been here. Within a few weeks, their lunch table had been taken over by a group of jocks. I was assigned a new partner in art, working with whoever was available. In bio, I worked alone now that there were odd numbers though every now and then I would fill in for someone that was missing.

Slowly, the memory of the Cullens faded until they were nothing but a strange anomaly.

 **Asdfghjkl**

"Congratulations Annabell, you made the team." Melissa, the coach of the cheering team said.

Lauren grinned, giving me a thumbs up. I couldn't help doing a mock bow in answer.

Lauren had proved to actually be a rather friendly person, especially after if came up that I had done cheering at my old school. After grilling me for a day or two, she had convinced her coach to let me try out for a position that had just opened up on the team. Someone's mother had pulled them off when she had failed two of her classes.

I had missed cheering and I was glad to finally be back in it. After my mom had passed away, I had quit, deciding that I needed more at home than I was on the mat. Now that I was back though, I could feel the stress just flowing off at the familiar sport. There was a part of me that wished I had never left to begin with.

"Way to go!" Alisha cried from the sidelines. I smiled, waving her over. She had rode the bus to the high school before sitting through the last half of practice.

"Alisha meet Lauren, Lauren, this is my sister." I said, gesturing as I spoke.

They both said hi.

Alisha smiled. "You're a really good flyer."

Lauren smiled back. "Why thank you. Are you going to do cheering like your sister when you get older?"

Alisha nodded her head vigorously, her hair flying. "It looks really fun and I've always wanted to be tossed in the air like Anny does to other people." She explained, her eyes wide.

Lauren laughed and stood. "Well, I'm sure one day you'll make a great cheerleader."

"First I just have to get Anny to teach me how to tumble."

 **asdfghjkl**

"I am so sorry Annabell," Tyler said. His voice sounded desperate but at this point I had heard it so much that I was starting to get sick of it.

It had been two days ago that Tyler lost control of his van. He had been going to fast on the icy roads and when he hit the parking lot it was at the wrong angle. He had skidded across the tar, accompanied by a high pitch squeal. His van hadn't stopped until it had rammed right into the back of my car and that of another students.

I had just pulled in moments before so I wasn't very far away when it happened. Luckily I had been far enough away so that I avoided everything although I did end up with a small cut on my arm from a piece of glass that had soared my way.

Unfortunately the same couldn't be said about my car. It had been completely totaled. The trunk was caved in, the airbags had gone off and the back tires were standing at odd angles, something clearly wrong with the bar. Apparently the mechanic had taken one look at it and said "No."

We were still waiting on the money from Tyler's insurance before looking for another car. For the time being, I was hitching rides with Lauren or Angela. Thankfully they adored Alisha so they didn't mind waiting around a little to pick her up. Angela even had little siblings that went to pre-school at the same school Alisha did so she started picking them up for her parents as well. Alisha thoroughly enjoyed that and had a blast taking care of them during the short car ride home.

"Tyler, I told you, it's fine." I practically sighed the words. It seemed like the thousandth time that he had apologized for the accident and the whole thing was starting to get on my nerves. It's not like he was acting this way with the other girl. He had ended up killing her car as well. I did not want to see the price that Tyler's insurance would be from now on after having to pay out that much money.

"Please, let me make it up to you." He said, looking slightly hopeful. "Let me take you to dinner or a movie."

"Actually, just make sure that check from your insurance company comes in and I'll call it even." I told him before walking away.

He looked slightly dejected but I didn't care in that moment. I was more concerned with getting away. I didn't want to be asked out on another date by him, especially after I had already said no. I felt like he was someone who wouldn't accept that answer though and that worried me slightly for what would happen in the future.

 **Asdfghjkl**

"And placing in fifth, the Forks Spartans." The announcer called.

The whole team slowly clapped. Apparently it was better than we usually did but not as good as we hoped we would do.

Melanie, my main flyer had fallen right before we were to perform. If it had been any other day she would have been caught but as it was, there was no one there and she hit the mat hard. The physical therapist working the competition said that she had at least hyper extended it, not to mention if she had done any damage to the bones. Her parents had taken her to the hospital right away and we were still waiting to hear about what was going on there. At the very least, she would be wearing a brace for the next couple weeks.

We had been forced to perform with out her. We had no substitutes on the team and having a fourth of every stunt not go up had taken a lot of points from us in the end. We had barely had time to rework the pyramid during warm ups so at least we had been able to pull that off, albeit a bit sloppily.

I guess all in all it wasn't bad. Alisha and I even got matching bows at the competition so that was fun. They were blue and gold with stars all over them, our school colors. I kind of just wish I had the money to buy this really cool sweater I had seen. Maybe next year though.

 **Asdfghjkl**

"So what do you think of this beast?" Jacob asked. He had a look of maternal pride as he gazed at the hulking vehicle.

I guess the Beast would work as a good nickname at the least. The truck was huge and old but at least it ran and it looked like it was in good condition. It had been taken care of well through it's life. I wasn't the best judge of that though so I would be waiting on my dad's verdict for that. The one downside I discovered rather quickly though was the earsplitting roar that it made while it ran. At least the noise was slightly deadened while inside the cab.

"It's very . . . red," I said, for lack of a better descriptor. I didn't know anything about vehicles. The most I could tell anyone about the one in front of me was that it was a truck.

When Charlie found out we were looking for something cheap he had suggested his friend who was trying to get rid of an old truck he owned. He could no longer drive so he didn't need it anymore.

Jacob laughed at my awkward expression and wording. "Just wait until you try to take it over fifty. If you're lucky it won't fall apart on you."

I gave him a look, trying to decide if he was joking or being serious. He smiled and I wasn't sure which.

 **Asdfghjkl**

"Have you ever wondered where that path leads?" Jacob asked.

We were currently outside, enjoying the little bit of sun we had been lucky enough to be graved with.

I looked up from my book to see him staring across Charlie's lawn. In the back corner, there was a small trail leading off into the woods. I shrugged, glancing back down at the bio info I had to memorize for a test I had coming up. "Never really thought about it." I told him truthfully.

Ever since we bought the truck off his dad, Jacob has been a frequent visitor. I didn't mind though, he was sweet, funny and he got along amazingly with Alisha. It was also nice to have someone to talk to that didn't go to my school. I could get his unbiased opinion on anything that had happened and he was actually pretty wise for his age. Although we both had fun bashing Mike whenever he came up.

Jacob grabbed my book, ripping it away and holding it above his head.

"Hey, give that back." I said, my voice stern. I didn't bother trying to take it back from him, I had already learned my lesson the last time he had done this. I've only known him for a month but I've swear he's grown three inches in that time. I'm no shorty but I had nothing on him so I knew trying would be futile.

"First let's go for a walk. You can study when we get back." He said, grinning.

"You know the whole point of these study sessions is to actually study." I informed him, throwing one of his books as him.

He caught it with his free hand before setting it aside. "Come on. We've earned a study break. I don't think I could look at one more math problem anyways right now."

I rolled me eyes but pushed myself off my porch anyways, I couldn't cram anymore information into my brain right now. "Fine but if I fail this test I'm blaming you." I told him.

"If you fail this test we'll have study nights every night from now on."

I laughed, knowing that we would goof of more than study, much like we were doing right now.

"Come on, I'll even tell you some more tribal legends while we walk." His grin was disarming and I couldn't say no to it.

Jacob had been slowly telling me about his tribe's legends and they were rather interesting. He was slightly hesitant to tell me some of them though. Apparently it was against tribal law to tell them to outsiders so he saved the really juicy ones for times like now when he was trying to get me to do something. I didn't mind though, they really were interesting.

As we entered under the dark canopy, I paused for a second. Hadn't someone warn me against going into the woods? I could almost hear an ominous voice warning me away from them, asking me not to go in. I struggled with it for a second before brushing it off as we continued deeper onto the trail. It's not like we would die from going in the woods.

 **Asdfghjkl**

"So, you won't go to the dance with me?" Mike asked.

I wanted to bash my head against the table. At first I was thankful when Mike had become my permanent lab partner in bio after his had transferred out of the class. We had been able to struggle through the assignments together but at this point I was wishing that my old lab partner was here, even if he would be giving me glares. At least they were silent and he hadn't insisted on asking me thousands of questions.

"No Mike, I don't go to dances." I told him for what felt like the fifth time, although now that I think about it, this probably was the fifth time.

Mike had asked me to the dance on Tuesday to which I told him no. Much to my horror, Eric had also asked me that day as well. He also got a no. Tyler had tracked me down Wednesday morning to ask me the same thing just so that he could get the same answer. Now it was Thursday and Mike was still trying to get me to go to the dance with him. I think after hearing that I had said no to both of the others, he had convinced himself that I had decided that I wanted to go with him instead. He couldn't have been more wrong.

"But what if-"

"I said no." I almost yelled, shooting him a glare as people turned in our direction. I worked to keep my voice level as I continued. "And if you ask me one more time I will bash your head into this table until you can no longer talk."

He paled before chuckling nervously. His eyes fluttered over my form and I was sure he was trying to figure out if I was being serious or not.

"Okay, maybe we can hang out some other time then." He said, leaning back to his side of the table.

"I highly doubt it." I told him, looking back to the front. I needed a really big guard dog.

 **Asdfghjkl**

My head was spinning, that's all there was to it. My head was spinning and I was biting my tongue, trying to keep my stomach from regurgitating.

For some reason, listening to everyone talk about the beach trip that was happening tomorrow wasn't helping.

I took a deep breath, in through the mouth and out through the nose. Calm down stomach. You're not allowed to hurl right now.

I set my head down on the table, my arms acting as a barrier between me and the rest of the cafeteria. I closed my eyes. The darkness seemed to help, made the spinning slightly less. Why hadn't I thought of staying home? Alicia had been sick the other day and it seemed like it had now passed onto me. My main concern right now was holding it together until this either passed or until I could reach a toilet.

"Annabell, are you okay?" It was Lauren and I could feel her hand resting on my shoulder.

I moaned. That was all I could manage right now. I didn't want to risk opening my mouth to try and speak.

"Here," Mike said and I felt something bump against the side of my arm. "Maybe eating something will make you feel better."

The stench of beef and gravy hit my nose and my stomach kicked it up a notch. It felt like there was a storm going on, waves thrashing and beating against the inside. I didn't want to think about what those waves would be made of.

I was going to throw up. It was a certainty this time. There was no way to hold it back. The only question now was when and where.

I turned, standing and attempting to run to the nearest trash can. I knew I wouldn't make it to the bathroom. The inside of my mouth was already hot and pooling with spit. It wouldn't be long.

Thankfully there was a trash can a few feet away from our table. I yanked the cover off it, letting it drop to the ground before bracing my arms against the side.

It would have all been fine after that if it hadn't been for Mike. Just as I could feel the puke sliding up my throat, Mike yanked my arm, spinning me so that I was facing him.

"Are you okay?" He asked, a concerned look on his face.

In answer, I puked on his shoes. He swore loudly, looking both disgusted and exasperated. "Not again." He sighed.

Mike had mentioned that his mother had been sick the last couple days. I was assuming something similar had happened when it came to that.

"Sorry," I managed to whisper, leaning against the wall. I was doing my best not to look at his shoes. I really didn't want it to cause a second round of upchucking.

"Yeah, yeah." Mike mumbled.

There were already a few kids running from the room. Hopefully one was getting the nurse and the other was getting the janitor.

 **Asdfghjkl**

"Tyler is saying what?" I asked, incredulously.

"He said he was taking you to the prom." Angela supplied.

"That bullshit." I said, seething. "He never even asked me that and if he had I would have said no."

"But don't you like him?" Lauren asked, a hopeful look to her eye.

I shook my head wildly, my hair flying around as I did. "There isn't anyone I like at all right now." I told them truthfully. Honestly if I had to date any one right now it would probably be Jacob, even if he was a year younger than me.

I had even been considering it recently because he was honestly a great guy, not to mention he had been hinting about maybe going out on a date at some point. Something about the idea felt weird though, like it wasn't right. That might just be that I thought of him more as a brother than a potential partner. I was just sure that it wouldn't work out.

Lauren looked utterly relieved when I spoke and something clicked in place in my brain. "Do you like him?" I asked.

Heat bloomed in her cheeks and I took that as a yes. "So that was why you've been acting so weird lately, you thought I was trying to take him." I supplied, realization dawning.

"Not trying to take him because I knew you didn't know that I liked him. I just thought you might like him too. I was trying to figure out if it was worth it to pursue him if it would cost our friendship." She explained, looking increasingly awkward.

I laughed at the picture she presented, feeling very much relieved to finally know what had been going on. "Don't worry. He's all yours." I told her.

She smiled, looking a tad bit pleased. "I'm not sure if I still want him knowing he's been lying this whole time." She said honestly.

I shrugged, that was her decision to make, besides if she really liked him it wasn't something that was going to go away automatically. "I'll go see if I can find any more dresses that you might like." I told her, as I headed towards the racks.

 **Asdfghjkl**

Time passed and before I knew it, two months had come and gone of my new life. It's wasn't the best but it was definitely an improvement when it came to what my life had been like in Maine. Everyone seemed to be adjusting well to living in Forks. I still missed Mom plenty, but the ache wasn't as strong.

Yet, despite all this, something felt wrong. I'm not sure what it was but something felt like it should have ended differently, like this wasn't what was supposed to happen. It was as if something was slightly askew but in the end I shouldn't have worried. Fate has a way of forcing things to take place, no matter how much others tried to change it.

 **UPDATED: 6/12** /16


	3. Chapter 3: Attack

Chapter 3: Attack

"I don't know, Jake." I said, leaning against the counter as I held my phone to my ear. "It sounds awfully dangerous for just a little bit of fun."

"Aww, come on. We do it all the time on the rez. No one has ever gotten seriously hurt." I heard him say. "I'll even tell you some more legends."

I rolled my eyes. "Gee, that makes me feel loads better." The sarcasm was heavy in my voice and he laughed upon hearing it. "Besides, I don't think you have any legends left to tell. You must of told them all to me by now."

"Pfst, I still got plenty and even if you don't want to jump then at least come along. You can watch the rest of us do it and you can always cheer me on." He told me.

"Yeah, sure. And then you'll push me in."

Jacob had the mad idea that we should go cliff diving. During one of my visits up to see him we had seen a few boys jumping off the top of a cliff followed by another few that were jumping off about half way down, the usual point to jump from what Jacob had said.

"I wouldn't dare." He said, sounding positively offended. "But if you're worried about the others, don't be. I'll protect you."

I couldn't help but snort at that.

"Hey!" was his indignant reply.

"I don't know." I told him. "We'll see what happens. If the weather is going to be as nice as it says it is, maybe I'll come and watch at least. I know Alisha would love to spend the day at the ocean."

I had to hold the phone away from my ear when he yelled in triumph.

"Yeah, yeah, calm down. I said maybe." I reminded him, though a smile was tugging at my lips.

"Well with you maybe is usually yes so I'm still going to celebrate." He said.

I would have laughed at that but instead I paused, tilting my head to the side. The house was completely silent. There was no creaking as the wind blew against it and no light drums seeming it wasn't raining. It almost seemed eerie.

"Anna."

I put the phone back to my ear, scowling although I knew he wouldn't be able to see it. "What did I say about calling me Anna?"

"Well, if you were actually listening I wouldn't have to. You weren't responding." He informed me.

"I thought I heard something." I explained, glancing around the kitchen hesitantly. My heart seemed to be beating heavily in my chest.

"Probably just your dad or your sister." He said.

I rolled my eyes. "You know that if my sister was home she would be demanding to talk to you."

"Oh yeah. Where is she then?" He asked.

"She's spending the night at a friends house and it wasn't my dad either. He's not done with his shift for another two hours." I told him.

"Great, my best friend is going bat-shit crazy. She's hearing things now."

"Hey," I called, slightly pissed. "I'm not crazy."

He scoffed. "Of course you are but you're the good kind of crazy." I knew he would be grinning in that moment.

"Wow, I didn't know that there was a good kind of crazy." I said, sarcastic again.

"Of course there is-,"

I ignored him after that, putting the phone against my shoulder to muffle the sound. I swear I just heard it again. Then from upstairs came a heavy thump. I jumped at the noise, my heart flying frantically as my hand covered my mouth and nose. I could feel how wide my eyes were in that moment as the fear started to pump through my system.

Maybe something just fell, you know the wind knocked it over or something. Before I could convince myself of this fact there was another thump, lighter this time though. I froze but my heart sped even faster. Suddenly I felt the urge to pee.

"Jake," I hissed into the phone while I walked to our pantry, trying to be as quite as possible. "Someone is in my house."

He paused, probably trying to decide if I was being serious or not. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"There's noise coming from upstairs and I'm the only one home." I whisper-shouted at him. Was he not getting the situation? Someone was breaking into my house. What the hell was I supposed to do?

I eased the door to the pantry open, wincing when it squeaked. Ever since I was little, we had always kept a gun in the house. When we moved to Forks, that didn't changed. My dad hid the hand gun on the top shelf, out of reach of Alisha just in case.

I reached up, my hand wrapping around the cool metal. I felt a little safer with something in my hand, something I could defend myself with.

"Stay right where you are. I'm coming over." He said.

Before he could hang up though the door to the pantry was ripped open and off it's hinges .I screamed bloody murder as it flew through the air before knocking into one of the windows on the other side of the kitchen. The window shattered, glass flying everywhere on impact. I barely avoided a piece that was headed towards my face, though it missed and clattered against the wall isntead.

Then someone was standing in front of me.

"What was that?" Jake's voice yelled through the phone.

He was tall, a few inches taller than I was. He had a thick build but he was lean at the same time, athletic looking. His hair was cropped short and was dirty blond in color although it was laced with streaks of dirt.

"Annabell?" Jake yelled.

The man was as pale as could be, whiter than even I was in the middle of the winter. He looked to be in his early twenties and he wore a pair of jean pants, hiking boots and a button down shirt made out of heavy fabric. Yet, everything he wore was worn, faded. The shirt was missing two buttons, the jeans frayed at the edges and a few holes around the knee.

"Answer me GOD DAMN IT."

His features were strong, his thin lips curved into a small smile. Blindingly white teeth showed through the small gap. His nose was a bit wide, cheeks sharp but it was his eyes that had me frozen in place. They were black. The type of black that you only encountered in a room with no windows and no light. The type of black that you couldn't even see your hand while it was in front of your face but there was another color also. In a thin line going around his pupils they were a dark maroon, almost burgundy, the color of dried blood.

"Hello," He said, his smile widening. His voice seemed too musical to be real but even then it only served to enhance the aura of danger that surrounded him.

"Who the hell was that?" Jacob screamed.

His eyes that had been trained on me flickered down to my hand that held my phone. He reached forward and tried to take it from me. I squeezed the phone tightly in my hand. I wasn't going to let it go. He saw the movement and then faster than I thought possible, his hand flashed up, hitting me on the underside of my jaw.

My teeth clinked together as I was thrown back, falling into one of the shelves before sliding to the floor. The cans that were on it rolled down, littering the floor. I groaned as my jaw throbbed with pain and I was pretty sure one of my teeth had been chipped.

He bent down, grabbing the phone I had dropped. Jacob was screaming, trying to get me to answer. "I'm calling Charlie, he'll be-" his voice was cut off as the man squeezed his hand. My phone crumpled to pieces of metal and plastic as they fell to the floor. I couldn't even recognize my phone from the warping pieces that were left.

Oh god, what the hell was he? He had ripped off the door, broken my phone and back handed me into a shelf.

I raised the gun, the safety already off as I pulled the trigger. The bullet sparked at it bounced off his chest and embedded in the wood by my head.

Oh god, oh god. My chest was heaving, strangled breaths coming and going through my lips.

"Now that wasn't very nice." He said, his smile widening. His teeth seemed to sparkle as he did so. "My name is James. What's yours?"

This dude was fucking crazy if he thought I was going to answer him. The silence stretched and the longer it went, the happier he looked.

"Come now, a pretty thing like you has to have a name." As he spoke he reached down and his hand grasped my ankle. He gave it a light squeeze and I bit back the scream that wanted to escape. As it was my eyes watered from the pain. He let my ankle go and I could tell I would have trouble walking on it in the future, if there was even going to be one for me.

"Annabell." I gasped out, trying to ignore the pain the best I could but I could still feel it throbbing.

"See, now that wasn't so hard." He stood from his crouch in front of me and walked out, back into the kitchen. I had room now and I knew I didn't want to be crowded in this closet again. I used the shelves to help me stand and as I tested me ankle, a hiss left my lips. I was right, I wouldn't be able to stand on it for a while.

Using the wall to support me, I made my way into the kitchen. I still held the gun in one hand, even though I knew now it wouldn't help me against him. "What the fuck are you?" The words left my mouth in something similar to a growl. I might still be about scared to death, but I was also severely pissed off.

He turned, smirking. "I'm very glad you asked that." He took a seat at the table, gesturing to the chair across from him. I didn't make a move, deciding I'd rather be standing than sitting next to him.

He heaved a sigh as if I had truly offended him by declining. Either this dude was seriously messed up or he was having fun toying with me. Who the hell am I kidding? It's probably both.

"You see I was once like you, fragile, weak, human." He grinned at the last word and my heart skipped a beat in dread. "Then I was changed."

"Is there an end to this story that actually makes sense?" I asked, even managing to sound sarcastic. I was proud of myself, that even while my heart was beating frantically, I could still remain calm, at least on the outside.

He stood and was in front of me impossibly fast, I hadn't even seen him move. I flinched back, squeaking in surprise. "What I am now preys on what I used to be. In short, I'm thirsty and you will be my meal."

I tightened my grip on the edge of the wall, fighting against the blackness that was trying to take me under. I wouldn't pass out. I was a fighter although I wasn't sure how that was going to help me here.

"But first we are going to play a game. You will do anything you can to get away from me. Try and think of something original, it's more fun that way but in the end, I will kill you." He said it in such a matter of fact way that a shiver went up my spine. He grinned, catching the movement and then his words registered in my muddled brain.

Kill me? He was thirsty? How could he drink a part of me? All I had was my blood. I froze at the thought, a memory resurfacing of Jacob and I walking down the path behind Charlie's house.

 _"Cold ones?" I had asked._

 _"Yeah. Super fast, super strong and blood drinkers. Your people call them vampires." He said, showing his toothy grin. "The spirit warriors were the only thing that could destroy them and even then, only their teeth were strong enough to break their stone skin."_

Then I had just thought of it as a cool legend, I mean who actually believed in vampires and werewolves. But now as I stared at the man in front of me, his eyes turning a darker shade of red, I knew that those legends had to be real. "You're a vampire." I said, not even doubting it in that moment.

He smiled, charmingly. "Good job. For that I'll give you a ten second head start."

I stared in horror before I limped into the living room, trying to figure out what to do. Jacob had said that only the wolves teeth had been able to kill the cold-ones. What did I have that was as strong as mythical creatures teeth? Nothing, that was the answer. My only choice was to run.

I had just made it to the door when I felt his cold hand gripping my neck. "Tsk, tsk, so unoriginal. I thought I had asked you to be more creative."

All he did was jerk his arm but still it sent me flying back and I landed roughly on the stairs. I knew that my entire back side would be bruised by the time morning came around, if I was still alive.

I turned and scrambled up the stairs, trying to think of something. I had to have something that could help. Despite knowing that it did no good, as I was climbing the stairs, I held the gun behind me, firing off more shots. At the very least, hopefully someone would hear them and come running.

I had just made it to the top of the stairs when his foot connected with my ribs. I could hear the sickening crunch as they broke, the sound louder than even my own screams. I couldn't breath. Every breath hurt and made the pain flared stronger than before.

"Aww, giving up already?" He sounded as if he was talking to a child.

"Fuck you." I shouted it with all my strength, glaring at the creature before me. I was slightly surprised when I saw him wince.

I was going to die here, I knew I was so I really only had two options left. I could lay here and wait to die. He'd probably kick me a few more times until eventually I couldn't take any more. Or, I could fight. At the very least, he would kill me quicker.

I struggled to stand with him staring down at me the whole time. When I did I glared at him, wishing that looks could actually kill. All he did was give me a simple shove and I was tumbling down the stairs, connecting painfully until I landed at the bottom, my arm at an awkward angle underneath me. I knew it was broken even before the numbing pain was added to all the others. It didn't help that I had landed on some of the shards of glass from the window. I could feel the glass slicing into my skin, the blood slowly pooling under me.

The tears were streaming down my face by then and I was in so much pain, I just wanted it to be over. The blackness that I had been fighting against earlier was back, crowding in at the edges. All I could see now was his face.

 _Asshole_.

He face twisted in surprise, looking openly shocked.

 _I hope you rot in hell._

As I fell farther into the darkness, I could vaguely hear the sounds of police sirens. I just hoped this fucker would get caught.

 **Asdfghjkl**

Everything hurt, no, not just hurt, it burned. The sensation of heat had started around my neck and wrists but then it traveled to the rest of my body as the temperature rose. Was I being burned alive? Was I in hell?

I didn't think I had done anything to deserve this, granted I was never one to put much stock in faith. If I didn't believe in god did that automatically put me in hell? I wasn't sure if that was quite fair. I should at least get a shot at heaven.

I tried thinking back but all I could remember was the attack and the pain. Pain that I would rather have a thousand times over than to feel this burning that was consuming my body. It was inside me, traveling through my veins and organs, searing every piece of flesh. How had I not been completely destroyed yet? How was I still able to think when my brain should be ash by now?

The funny thing though was despite the fire, I could still feel everything that had been done. My ankle, back, arm, ribs and jaw were all still sore in various degrees and when I tried moving my arm, it just caused the fire to flare brighter, stronger.

I gasped at it, deciding that it was better if I stay still for now. Moving seemed to aggravate everything.

It was then that I could feel my heart beating wildly in my chest, faster than I had ever felt it beating before. Did that mean that I was still alive? If I was then what was all this pain? Was this fire supposed to make me better? Was I actually being burned alive? I was going to haunt the fuck out of whoever did this to me if I was dying.

I heard something next to me, a cough? Chuckle? Something along those lines. I tried to focus in on the sound, something to distract me from the pain. There was a rustling noise, like that of fabric. Beyond that I could hear leaves and wind. Where was I? The last thing I had remembered was my own house, laying at the bottom of the stairs in a puddle of blood. If I was somewhere else, had the person what attacked been caught? Had he gotten away in time? Was this supposed to be a healing treatment?

The pain was increasing, burning hotter than before. I hadn't honestly thought that was possible but apparently it was. How could there be anything left of me to burn? Shouldn't I be ash and cinder by now? Hadn't I burned long enough?

There was nothing to track time here, no other sounds mainly. What was going own? How much time had passed? Hours? Days? Weeks? Months? An eternity? It certainly felt like it.

The only thing I was sure of was that the more time that passed, the hotter the fire got. Each time, the heat would plateau and I was sure it couldn't get any hotter but then it would spike, proving my wrong.

Despite my beating heart, was I dead? Would I be dead soon? What was happening?

What was going to happen to Dad and Alisha now? We had already lost mom. What would happen if they lost me as well? I hoped that dad wasn't going to shut down again. He needed to be strong this time around. Alisha would need him now more than ever seeming if I wasn't going to be there. I wanted to sob at the thought of leaving her behind but the tears wouldn't come. I'm sure the fire had sucked every ounce of liquid out of my body.

What would happen to Jacob and Lauren and all the rest I had become good friends with? Would they be okay? I hoped so though if I died I'm sure Jacob would take it the hardest. Even though I was friends with everyone, Jacob was my best friend.

I hoped Charlie and Billy would be able to help my dad. They had become decent friends the past couple months, especially after we had bought the truck. I had lost count of how many fishing trips and sports games they had done in that time. Enough for me to get annoyed by it. He would need them. They would have to keep him strong, keep him going so that he could be there for Alisha.

And then the fire started to retreat. First it left the tips of my fingers and toes blissfully cool. But before I could sigh in relief, the fire in my heart burned brighter, hotter. Each time the pain pulled away, it went towards my center, adding to the fuel. It felt like my heart had turned into the sun and it was getting ready to explode, to go super nova. I couldn't handle it. The pain was too much, the fire too strong. I didn't understand how I was still alive, how my heart was still beating despite the searing heat that was being contained in it.

Then finally the only part of me that was left burning was my heart. It was beating frantically, so fast that it was almost one steady beat. I wasn't sure what it was trying to do but all I wanted was for the fire to stop. It was worse now being able to feel the contrast between my cool fingers and my burning, burning heart.

The muscle stuttered. I could hear it giving a few final beats before it stopped completely and then the fire was gone. Everything was cool except for a small piece of fire that was left in my throat. Still, this was nothing compared to what it had been. I could live with this small annoyance.

So was I dead then? By all rights I should have been. My heart was no longer beating and I was positive that I had been completely reduced to ashes. So what happened now?

"It's time to get up sleeping beauty."

I could feel my eyebrows scrunching in confusion. The voice sounded familiar, I know I've heard it before, especially that condescending tone. I tried to shift through my memories and pinpoint it but it felt like I was wading through mud. It took a great deal of effort to bring any of my memories to the surface and when I did they seemed blurry.

There was a hiss and all of a sudden, I was standing, my eyes open.

All at once, my mind took in multiple things. The first was that I was standing in a cave, or maybe a hole in the ground. The rocks that I could see overhead looked like gouges had been taken out of it and probably recently. The walls were the same for the top half but the bottom half was dirt, loose and dark with moisture. The scent of the earth was heavy in the small place, covering almost everything else I could smell.

There was a small opening about fifteen feet in front of me, pale light shining through. It also allowed for a small breeze and on the air current, I could smell the forest that was hidden beyond my sight.

Despite that though, the most worrying fast was that there were three people in front of me, one of whom I dimly recognized.

The first man, standing at the point of the triangle had short blonde hair that was covered in dirt. He wore old, threadbare clothing and the smile he wore had me crouching in defense. There was another man there as well with short, dark hair. He seemed to have a greenish tinge to his skin and I wondered if he was going to be sick. The last was a woman with wild hair that had different tones of red and orange. Her eyes and the eyes of both men were a startling red.

As my eyes settled back on the first man, something clicked into place and I openly gaped at him for a second.  
"You." I said, my voice hard and then I was in front of him in a disorienting display of speed. "You tried to kill me."

As I spoke the words I realized that this wasn't my voice that was talking. It was too smooth, too musical but they were saying the words I wanted to, making the sounds I told it to.

He smiled, pulling me from my thought. "Did kill you actually." He seemed to find it funny for some reason.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You can't just go around killing people." I shouted. At this point I was more worried by my voice, something was wrong, different about me. Another part of me was glad. If he had killed me then it mean I was dead and to see him here, it must mean that he was dead as well. Good, although I don't know what the other two people had to do with this.

"That's where you are wrong." The female spoke up. She walked over, looking almost catlike as she did. I could almost imagine her with a tail. "We feast upon those pathetic humans. You are one of us now."

The malice in her words were surprising, especially because they were the first words I had heard her speak. It made me pause before I could say anything else. "Us? What is us?" I asked, looking at the three warily. Maybe they were all crazy, especially if they are talking about feasting on human. Oh god, don't tell me that I was attacked by a cannibalistic.

I tried to think back and although I could remember for definite that I had been attacked and by this man in particular, the memories themselves were vague, fuzzy.

The man, James, my mind supplied, smirked. "Oh come on, you said it before. You should know what you are."

I tried to remember what I had said and it came to me, although much too slowly. "Vampire," I spat out in astonishment. That's right, there had been an astonishing display of strength and speed, far beyond what was normal.

The red-head sighed, seeming exasperated with all of this. "Just be happy James decided to change you instead of feeding upon you." She said, yanking out something from her pocket before holding it in front of me. It was a pink compact, a faded image of Hello Kitty on the front of it. She flicked it open with a movement of her fingers. The mirror inside was cracked and slightly grimy but I could still see my reflection in it or better yet the reflection of someone else because the person that was staring back was most definitely not me.

The girl was pale, paler than I had ever been. Her skin was smooth and seemed to reflect the light of the full moon. Her lips were the same shape as my own but mine had never been that full or that soft of a pink naturally. Her cheeks were prominent, a bit too sharp, and her nose small. Her oval shaped face was framed by various shades of brown hair ranging from light brown to an almost black. But the thing that made me sure it wasn't me was the eyes. They were a bright red, brighter than a shined apple. I had never seen a color that was quite so vivid before.

I lifted my hand up towards my eyes and so did the girl in the mirror. I could feel my eyes widen and the girl in the mirror did the same. I bit my lip, the gesture feeling weird as I did so. My lip had never been quite that hard. In the mirror, copied.

I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry. This wasn't me. What had happened?

The woman's hands moved to cover her ears, dropping the mirror in the process. When the compact hit the ground, the cracked mirror fractured, small pieces flying off and littering the ground. "Enough with the hysterics." She cried.

I paused, looking up at her in clear confusion. I hadn't even done anything other than stare at that mirror.

"You're projecting."She said, her teeth gnashing together. "You've been the past three days. I could hardly be around with the feeling of the pain you were shoving onto us when you didn't keep it to yourself."

I still didn't understand. She must have known because she rolled her eyes before moving forward until she was in my face, her shining teeth only inches away. I had to fight the instinct to either fall back or attack, choosing to stay ramrod straight instead.

"You have a power. You are basically thinking so loud that all of us can hear you." She gestured to the other two behind her. "So unless you put a lid on it real quick, I'll destroy so I don't have to listen to it any more.

I blinked in surprise but after a second, she sighed moving away. I didn't understand. How was I projecting like she had said? I didn't even do anything differently?

"Come, you must be thirsty. I will take you on your first hunt."

It was the second man who had spoke and as he did, the small fire in my throat burst full force. I was so surprised by the intensity that my hand flew to my throat. I worried that the fire would extend to the rest of me, to start to burn my again. I swallowed, trying to put it out but it didn't help. Only made me aware of an uncomfortable hollowness in my stomach.

He held out his hand and hesitantly I took it. If he knew something to put the fire out, I would do whatever he said.

With just a bit of pressure, he started pulling me away. As he did so, I glanced down, catching my reflection in the shattered mirror. The fractured image of a girl I didn't know stared back at me for only a second before she was gone, speeding at an impossible speed between the trees.

 **UPDATED: 6/12/16**


	4. Chapter 4: It's A Vampire's Life For Me

Chapter 4: It's A Vampire's Life For Me

I could describe being a vampire, or at least a newborn vampire in one word: disorientating.

Everything was new, exciting. Each experience was as if I was just seeing it for the first time, which to some extent I was. My old eyes couldn't see the level of detail I could now. It meant that everything was novel to an extent. Not to mention I sometimes had trouble focusing on one thing for too long with all the information my mind was constantly noticing. I felt like a child that was ADHD, hyped up on sugar and let free in an amusement park. The world was my playground.

"So are you a monkey, now?" Laurent asked.

If that playground had rules in the form of three adult vampires always watching me.

I glanced down, at least fifty feet, 57 feet and 8 inches my mind supplied, from where I was hanging on a sturdy branch of a tree, maple, I could tell by the smell of the sap.

I grinned, reaching up to scratch my head with my free hand as I made my eyes as wide I could. "Ooh, ooh, eeh." I answered, eliciting a laugh from him.

"I didn't know monkeys were nocturnal." He said.

It was night time now, one James's rules was that we could only be out in the dark, like the vampires of myth and legends. Despite that, I could see better now than I had ever seen before. Every vein in a leaf, every insect crawling around in the bark and especially every star shinning in a sky. The night was alive with colors that I had never seen before and it brought a new level to stargazing that I had never anticipated. The first time I had seen the night sky I had frozen in surprise, staring at the greens, yellows, blue and reds. I had never realized that the stars had been so many colors.

I swung my body forward, releasing my grip and allowing myself to fall. I descended ten feel before latching onto another branch, using my momentum to swing me forward.

As I traveled in the treetops, Laurent was following below me.

Our strength, speed and agility was another thing that amazed me. I had always been athletic but I had never been able to swing through the trees like this. It came so easily too, all I had to do was reach forward and snag a branch. Not to mention it was also amazingly fun. For a second it made me disgusted with how weak I had been as a human.

"Why don't you come down?" His voice drifted up through the leaves and branches.

I used the momentum to launch me forward, flipping in the air before I landed lightly on my toes in front of him. Out of the trio, Laurent was really the one who had taken me in and shown me the ropes in a manner of speaking. He was the one who had taken me on my first hunt, the one that had explained how to get rid of the body, and the one that had taught me about my new life.

Victoria tried to ignore me for the most part though she usually ended up glaring or hissing at me more often than not. I assumed she didn't like having another female in the group. James, although he had been the one to change me, seemed to be the one the least interested in me. As long as I was following his rules or working on my gift, he didn't bother to even look at me.

To be honest, I preferred it that way actually. I didn't like James and the few times he did waste his time on me, well, it was never fun.

Laurent cleared his throat and I glanced up at the vampire that had basically adopted me so to speak. Oh, that's right, he had wanted my attention. I guess I had been zoning out again.

"Time for another hunt." He said, his eyes darkening a shade.

The ever present flame in my throat roared to life, demanding to be sated. It wanted nothing but rich, sweet blood.

This was the part of my new life, and probably the only part of it that I had trouble with. Apparently newborns had to hunt every couple of days to keep the thirst under control. That was a lot compared to an aged vampire who only had to go about once every two weeks. I had already been hunting four times in the past two weeks.

Laurent gestured for me to lead the way and I took off running, letting my nose guide me. Since I had awoken from my change we had stayed roughly in the same area. I think James had said we were in northern California. We generally tried to hit different towns each time we went hunting to avoid being noticed and that meant sometimes having to travel a good amount of distance.

I didn't mind though. The speed was exhilarating and something I would never get used to. When I had been a human, I had been fast and strong, especially compared to most girls and even some of the boys. It seemed like that had transferred with me and I loved it. I could easily outdistance any of the three and I had so much power to my sprints that it felt more like flying than it did running, my feet barely touching the ground.

"Slow down." I heard Laurent say.

I did as was requested, putting less power in each stride. "Sorry," I called back.

He grumbled in reply but I ignored him, too happy to care.

We ran over mountains, across valleys and past small towns that would be closer described as villages. They were places that were too small to hunt at. A disappearances, even just one or two would have been noticed. It was an hour later that we came upon a decent sized city. It was a place that was still alive, even this early in the morning.

I took a deep breath, inhaling the scents around me. Garbage, oil, concrete, fuel, they all consumed my sense of smell but just barely detectable within them all was the tantalizing smell that I was looking after.

My speed deposited me on the outskirts of the town in seconds and then I was consumed with the smell, the thirst, the hunt. Automatically, I crouched low, my back hunched as I stuck to the deepest shadows. I sniffed again, picking out the scent of the humans from the trash that surrounded me. Laurent said that with time I would be able to distinguish the scents between humans but for now, they all smelled the same to me.

In a few easy strides I was peering around the corner of a building. The street was all but deserted except for a few stragglers. There was one person hunched over in a doorway and even from this distance I could hear their soft snores. There was however, one man that was staggering towards me.

He was wearing decent clothes, expensive but not overly. Nice black pants, a semi-dressy button shirt. He wore a simple jacket over it and as the wind shifted, I could smell the alcohol that lingered around him.

I grimaced. I had found out quickly that alcohol changed the taste of the blood, almost made it sour. Oh well, it was too late for him anyways. I wasn't going to take the time to find another, especially now as the fire in my throat burned hotter. A bit sour or not, his blood would still control the thirst.

I took another breath, inhaling deeply. His scent tore through my chest and the bloodlust nearly undid me then. I forced my arms down though, linking my hands behind my back as the venom pooled in my mouth. I swallowed, trying to focus my mind. Taking a step forward, I stood under a streetlight, a allowing it to shine on me.

He was nearly on top of me before he finally looked up.

"Hi," I said, flashing him a smile.

His eyes skimmed my form before his lips fell into an easy, if somewhat lopsided grin. "Why hello," he said, the words only slightly slurred. Hm, maybe he wasn't as drunk as I thought. Perhaps then this wouldn't be bad.

I widened my lips and watched as his pupils dilated. He was being taken in by the beauty and it helped that with my arms behind my back, it was thrusting my chest forward. I just had to make sure that he didn't get a good look at my eyes until it was too late. Probably though, even those wouldn't deter him.

Sometimes I had to wonder how stupid these humans were. My clothes were worn, the pants frayed and the shirt lightly blood splattered but even with these telltale signs, they never noticed until too late.

"It's a little late for you to be out here, isn't it?" He asked, taking a step closer.

I shrugged, playing it off. "But it's so much more interesting at night. Everyone you meet has such an air of mystery." I let my body lean forward slightly, looking down at his chest as if I was shy. It helped that my voice seemed almost wispy in that moment, almost sounding like a daydream.

"I have to agree. I know a place of two where we could become acquainted if you wanted to." His hand was suddenly resting against my hip, his head leaned in so he could whisper the words in my ear.

Hm, this man must be more stupid than the rest of them. He must be in his early thirties, at least, and here I was, only sixteen. Was this a usual habit of his or did he just think that he had gotten lucky tonight?

I tilted my head, glancing up slightly but making sure to keep my eyes hidden by my lashes. "I know a place as well." I told him, resting my hand on his. He didn't react to my cold touch but I could feel the heat of his skin almost burning my hand. He was already lost.

I made a conscious effort to be fragile as I tugged him into the darkness of the ally. I hadn't been paying attention once and I had nearly pulled a mans arm out of his socket. I didn't this time though and as soon as we were completely out of sight, his hands were glued onto my waist, pulling me into his chest. I let him, my nose skimming his collar bone as my hands went to his shoulders.

I could feel the heat of his skin, hear the pounding of his heart and I could even see the vein pulsing in his neck. His scent coated my tongue and I knew I couldn't resist. The venom was pooling in my mouth and my throat was burning, almost as bad as it had during the change.

At the very least, I would be nice about his death.

My hand drifted up, caressing the back of his neck before I twisted it. As I heard the snap there was a small pinprick of guilt at the death of this man but that was soon washed away as my teeth broke through his skin. The blood was a warm relief, sweeter than I could imagine, even with the alcohol diluting it. I almost felt like I was drinking liquid chocolate but I couldn't remember that ever tasting this good. The blood made my head slightly fuzzy, as if I was getting a contact drunk and I found myself soon done with my meal.

I considered going and looking for a second but then quickly gave up on the idea. One would be enough for tonight.

The burning was under control now and my stomach was full, almost to the point of it being uncomfortable. I grabbed the body, throwing it over my shoulder. The weight was nothing, I didn't even notice it as I ran out of town, making sure I wasn't seen by any prying eyes. I found Laurent standing under the canopy of trees.

"Did you hunt?" I asked curiously. He had no body with him but he could have easily disposed of it before hand.

He shook his head before answering. "I'll wait until next time."

I nodded in understanding, slightly annoyed that I couldn't go as long as he could. Instead of voicing my displeasure, I journeyed further into the forest. After finding a place about fifteen miles in that had high animal traffic, I dumped the body. It wouldn't be found and the carnivorous animals in the area would have a free meal. Just to be careful though, I searched his pockets, pulling out any forms of identification. I would get rid of it somewhere on the way back, though I kept the cash for myself.

We arrived back at our camp site two hours later. We had followed our trail back the way we traveled out. When finally arrived though, James was waiting for me, leaning against a tree.

I glowered when I saw him. This was one of the few times he took the time to notice me. He insisted on me practicing with my gift whenever so I could to learn control it. Although in the past few weeks, I had at least become aware of when I was projecting, it was hard to do on demand and hard to control when I got emotional. They didn't want to listen to my voice being in their heads, not to mention that I think James got some sick type of glee out of the few times I had managed to hurt them with it.

"Let's see if your control has improved." James said, striding forward.

I grimaced but closed my eyes, trying to concentrate. I remembered the feeling the few times I had been aware of it. It had taken me a couple days to even realize there was a difference seeming it was so minor. It's hard to think in different volumes but I think that's what I was doing. My thoughts were contained in a small room but when I projected it was like I was standing on a mounting, yelling towards the sky. There was nothing stopping them from continuing.

Still, even though I knew what it felt like, it was still hard to reproduce.

I forced myself to loosen up, letting the tension flow from my muscles. I was relaxed, somewhat annoyed but mostly relaxed. I had just fed though and I could feel the frenzied energy from it coming to the surface. I wouldn't be able to stay still for long so I'd have to get this over with quickly.

I tried focusing on the annoyance I felt, pulling it to the forefront of my mind and letting it consume me. My eyes were closed as everything that was aggravating flipped through my mind. James and his smirk, Victoria and her expression of superiority, even the face of the man who had been my last meal. When the emotion was rolling inside me, mixing the energy from the blood, feeling like a world wind of energy, I sang, at least in my head.

 _There was a great big moose, who liked to drink a lot of juice._

The few times I managed to do this, I sang random songs that popped into my head. It was better than trying to have an awkward one sided conversation, even if some of the songs that I couldn't recall learning were childish.

Before I was even aware of it, James backhanded me across the face. I flew back, twisting in the air so I landed facing him as the growl erupted from my throat.

 _That was uncalled for._

He smirked and I knew he enjoyed this way more than he was letting on. "How are you supposed to use your gift when you have to concentrate that hard on it. How are you supposed to be able to defend yourself?" His words were mocking and behind him I could see Victoria grinning victoriously. "You're putting to much of your concentration into your gift. It should be like second nature."

My growl still hadn't subsided as I stayed in my crouch, trying to decide whether to attack or not. I was getting really tired of that SOB's attitude. So he was a tracker, big fucking deal. His gift and mine were different in both how they worked and how they were activated. If mine took more concentration, maybe that was what was needed. Not to mention I had only been a vampire for two weeks. Not only had I not had time to practice much with it but I was also still trying to control myself as a newborn.

"You were able to do this when you were human,able to cause me pain, if only a small amount. I want to see what you are capable as a vampire. Again."

I bit my lip to bite back a retort as I put all of my mental strength on projecting again but this time I didn't think of any words, just the hatred I felt towards him. I pushed it his way in the form of a loud shriek and I saw him hold back a wince before he smiled. Victoria however couldn't quite school her features as the noise hit her as well.

"Again!"

I shrieked again but I could tell that this one had a lot less power to it. Victoria didn't even wince not to mention James's face settled into a mask of disappointment, not that I cared much about that.

He sneered, his lips pulling back into a slight grimace before sauntering off, back into the cave we were staying at.

Victoria hissed at me, following her mate. I flipped her off but she took no heed of it. I've done it so many times that she didn't even blink at the gesture anymore. As soon as those two were out of my line of vision, I turned and stalked off into the woods. I'm sure I looked like a five year old while I did so.

I hated that they acted like they were so superior. Sure, they were older than me but did that really matter? So what if they both had gifts. That didn't mean they knew how mine worked. They didn't understand what it was like, trying to learn something so quickly. Both of their gifts were instinctual to them, that doesn't me it was to me.

I couldn't help sending a kick towards a tree as I walked past it. In that second though, I had forgotten my strength. The tree immediately fell, torn at the roots as it crashed into it's neighbor. I only waste about half a second to carve my footprint out of it's trunk before continuing on my path.

I didn't need them to monitor my progress, I could do better learning on my own, exploring it my way. I didn't care for their approval but more than anything I wanted to wipe those smirks of their faces, especially by learning my gift on my own. I wanted to show them that any methods I came up with worked better than what he was doing.

After running a few miles away, I came across a giant tree, so big I would probably need three of me to reach around it. After a second, I took a seat at the base, leaning my head back against the bark. It was a wonder to think that despite this massive size, it would only take me a flick of the wrist to take it down. It was something that had been around far longer than I had been alive but I could still end it, if I so choose to. Maybe, at some point I would live to be older than this tree.

I closed my eyes, trying to quite my brain. I needed to be able to focus, although right now that was easier said than done. I pushed the thought away, trying to force myself to clear my head.

This was something that was hard for me for long periods of time. The natural inclination of a newborn was to be wild and always on the defensive, wreaking havoc wherever they went. That was why I always had someone with me or close by. They were there to make sure I didn't go on a freezing frenzy.

But that was off topic. I focused on that frantic energy, the whirling sensation. I had to work to push it away and calm it down. It was only then that I really could think clearly, or at least somewhat clearly.

Slowly, as the energy settled, I became still, like the stone my skin felt like. The buzzing was still there but it was muted, pushed back and away. With that done, I tried to focus on my gift, tried to find it, to feel it.

Victoria had always said that I was projecting in different volumes depending on how erratic I was. It was similar to what I had done to James earlier, sending him a loud screech. It was what I had done when I was a human, sent out a wave of noise that he could hear in his mind. He had been surprised to find a human with a gift so developed that it could hurt a vampire, even if only a small amount. From his experience, it was unheard of.

So then what if my gift wasn't so much projecting as it was thinking in different volumes? Perhaps I was a radio, one that could be so quite that no one could hear and one that could be so loud that everyone could. That would be a visualization to use next time, rather than the yelling on the mountain. I might have to try it.

With my eyes closed, I scrunched my eyebrows together, focusing on something I could almost feel on the edge of my mind and quickly coming closer. It was one of us, going off the speed. Within a few seconds, I could hear feet thumping against the forest floor.

"You know you are quite controlled for a newborn." Laurent said when he appeared next to me.

I opened my eyes, glancing at up at him. "I don't feel it." I told him truthfully. I had to ignore the instinct to twitch under his gaze.

"Trust me, not one in a thousand newborns would have the control to sit there meditating like you are." He took a seat next to me as I relaxed my posture, sliding down the trunk until I was mostly sprawled out on the ground.

"How old are you, Laurent?" I asked, my eyes raking over his form. I knew it was probably unchanged from when he had first awoken and he wore nothing to distinguish what time he was born in. Did he have much experience with newborns? How would he know how they acted? What the norm was?

"I am more than three centuries old." He said, smiling at my look of surprise.

I honestly had not been expecting that answer. Although James had said immortal, I guess I hadn't grasped what that actually meant. How old could a vampire live to be?

"Why were you changed then?" I asked, trying to imagine the world he had lived in. Nothing electronic and not even any real medicine. Children would have died from diseases that are basically non-existent today.

"I was born to an aristocratic family, only we were at the very bottom of the hierarchy. We had no money left and no favor within the court." He said, his eyes gazing at something far away, something I couldn't see even with my enhanced vision. "One of my older brothers managed to marry into a wealthy family. He took me under his wing and I was introduced to the court as the noble I was. I flourished there and quickly became close friends with a visiting nobleman from Russia. Everyone assumed his odd ways were because of the differences in culture. It was around that time that the deaths started to become noticeable."

I blinked, my mind already coming to the conclusion but I let him finish the tale.

"He had become rather fond of me, you see, and when it came time for him to leave he offered me a position among his servants. I took it and traveled with him. We went all sorts of places, travelled to some lands I hadn't even heard of at that point. It was all magnificent and extravagant thanks to his wealth. Soon it a pattern began emerging though. Wherever we went, deaths would start occurring before we would leave again. I was sure he had something to do with it but still, we were friends, I didn't want to believe the worst of him." Laurent told me. "Within time, he informed me of what he was and extended to me an invitation that I couldn't resist. He offered to change me, to make me into what I am and I accepted."

I was slightly horrified at him, the fact that he had willingly choosing this life. Still, I had to wonder how many of us actually chose to become this opposed to how many it was thrust upon. I had no choice when it came to my transformation. Laurent had chosen his. I wonder what had happened with Victoria and James. Had they chosen this path as well? Despite my curiosity, I knew I would never ask.

"What happened to him?" I questioned. I probably sounded like a five year old now with all the questions. "Your creator, I mean?"

"I was with him for a number of years before we eventually parted ways. I wandered around, joining different covens until I came here and became a nomad. I guess I still haven't found my place in this world."

"That didn't answer my question." I spoke.

He chuckled. "That last time I saw him was more than a hundred years ago. I've heard some rumors that he was killed but I haven't felt the want or need to see if they were true. We've drifted apart in our time of immortality."

I bit my lip, glancing around in surprise at his words. I couldn't see how he could be so careless about it, someone that had been his friend and even his creator. But then again it wasn't like I was overly close to James.

I sighed, standing up as I looked to Laurent. We usually spent a lot of our time together like this. He would get started on something and then I would ask endless questions. It helped that Laurent knew so much and he didn't mind sharing the information he had collected. It made him a great teacher.

"Would you like to explore with me?" I asked. I was done with the mediating, as he had called it, for now.

He was up in a flash and we took off running. We had been on quite a few of these trips already but it didn't dim the curiosity I held for the area around me. This time we ran west and I could feel the stress that the session with James had caused melting off my shoulders. A smile formed on my lips as I soared through the trees. Sometimes I found myself even running in circles around Laurent just for the fun of it. As we streaked through the land, we scared a heard of deer as we came upon them in a meadow but they quickly scattered. At one point we even came upon a lone moose before our scent sent it running.

It was only a few minutes later that I caught the scent of something on the breeze. I paused, tilting m head as I took a deeper breath in. It was salty but there was also some type of plant mixed in, a combination I had not come across yet in my new life. I took off in the direction the wind was blowing and quickly the sound of rushing water was filling my ears. I could hear the sound of a surf pounding against rocks and then the scent finally made sense. It was the ocean.

The trees were thinning around me and then I broke through them. I stilled at the sight, the awe at what was in front of me was even slowing the energy inside me.

I was standing on a cliff, probably about seventy feet high in the air. Beneath it I could see rocks jutting out from the water and the dark waves rushing against them. I could see small whirlpools that were formed from the currents, sucking down any twigs and leaves that were floating on the surface. I could even see small creatures swimming beneath the waves, despite the dark color of the water. The ocean stretched for miles in front of me and to either side.

I stepped further out onto the cliff until it filled my vision. All I could smell was the water and seaweed, all I could hear were the waves. It took all of my senses, filled them to a brim. I parted my mouth and the wind blew the scent onto my tongue, coating it with a thick layer. I could almost taste the salt in the air.

It was almost as if I had been completely submersed int this. I wanted more. This was the first time I had seen the ocean as a vampire and I wanted to experience it with all of my enhanced senses.

Hazily I could recalled something from my human life. It was almost like watching an old movie. The footage was grainy and the recordings horrible but still, the memory was there. It was of a cliff, possibly similar to this one but I could see figures hurling themselves off it, diving through the air before becoming a part of the world below. As a human, there was a dull feeling of fear that came with the memory but now, all I felt was excitement, yearning. I'm sure my heart would have been beating with adrenaline if it could have.

I could feel a smile slowly spilling across my face as my body hummed, preparing myself. My knees bent slightly as my toes curled inside my boots and then I threw myself forward, my arms spread out to my sides. I could hear Laurent's cry of surprise as I plummeted towards the ocean below me.

The wind whipped my hair and I cried out in the sheer pleasure as I fell and then I was in the water. Not surprisingly, I sank like a rock as the fish scattered. The water felt different then I remembered it. It was no longer cold and though I could feel the pressure around me, it didn't bother me. Instead it was like a caress, a comforting sensation that completely enclosed me. There was almost a smoothness, a silkiness that hadn't been there before.

My feet touched bottom and a small cloud of sand burst up underneath me as I looked around. The world below the waves was even more beautiful than the one above it.

Crabs and lobsters were scuttling around on the floor, leaving trails in the sand behind them. There were various colored anemones and starfish that stuck to the rocks but even as I watched, I could see them starfish inching across the ground. The anemones all pulled in their feeler like appendages as I sank past but they were still beautiful to see. In the water itself, there were small organisms that glowed a bright blue when they were moved by the current. I shot my hand out and the movement left a trail of blue. It was almost like walking through the stars and I found myself enchanted by the world around me.

Silently I found myself agreeing with Sebastian, this places was so much better than the human world.

I cocked my head at the thought. Although, I could remember the name, I couldn't quite remember where I had heard it from or why he had said that the ocean was so great.

I shrugged it off, swimming through the water as my eyes eagerly took in any sights I came upon.

I must have been exploring this small area for twenty minutes before I finally surfaced, clutching a starfish in my hand. I had wanted to stay longer, especially after finding a small cave in the rock at one point but I didn't want to worry Laurent too much, not to mention I knew the sun would be rising soon. I'd come back another time though, nothing could keep me away now that I had discovered this place.

Climbing up the cliff face was an easy task, even while only using one hand. When I reached the top, it was to see Laurent sitting at the edge, his leg dangling over the ocean.

"Did you have fun?" He asked.

I grinned, pulling myself over the lip as I collapsed beside him, my clothes soaking the ground beneath me. "It was amazing, you should have seen it. I even found a cave." I told him, sitting up and starting to ring out my hair.

He nodded, glancing over the starfish I still clutched in my hand. "I see. How about next time you give me a heads up so I don't have another heart attack."

I laughed at what he was insinuating. As if we could die from something so simple. "Will do." I promised, sitting up to look at the horizon. It was at that moment that I caught the barely perceptible lightening of the sky behind me. The sun was coming up.

In that moment I was kind of annoyed that we weren't on the east coast, it would have been so beautiful to see the sunrise over the water. As it was we needed to start heading out, we didn't want a human to catch us out in the sunlight.

Maybe I could come back sometime and watch the sunset instead. Oh it would be so beautiful. I could just imagine the blend of colors and how magnificent it would be with my new eyesight. The idea was slightly less appealing when I realized that I would have to hide in the trees to be able to see it but it didn't matter, I would just have to be very careful that none of the light fell on me.

"Are you ready?" Laurent asked, drawing my attention from the lightening sky.

I nodded, standing beside him before we both took off, heading deeper into the shadowed forest.

 **UPDATED: 6/12/16**


	5. Chapter 5: Future Plans

Chapter 5: Future Plans

Two months. That was how long Annabell Evans had been missing before she was finally declared dead and a funeral was arranged. Of course, the casket would be empty seeming no body was ever found.

When had Charlie showed up at his neighbors after he got the distress call from Jacob, it was to see a perfectly normal looking house from the front but he knew that looks could be deceiving. That was why Charlie slowly approached the front door, his gun drawn and held at the ready. After knocking twice and not receiving an answer, he tried the handle. Like he had expected, it was unlocked. No one locked their doors in Forks.

He gently pushed it open and was horrified at the sight that greeted him. Glass and droplets of blood littered the front hallway, there was even a large puddle in front of the stairs, glinting in the light. The kitchen was completely destroyed. There were cans of foods all over the floor, the pantry door was ripped off and thrown through a window, which explained the glass everywhere. The thing that scared him even more was the various bullet holes he could see around the house. After checking every room, he worst was quickly confirmed. Annabell wasn't here. That was when he caught sight of the back door, open and hanging on from one bent hinge, small pieces of wood littering the backyard.

He did the only thing he could do. He called for backup, put out a heads up to all the local hospitals and then he called his old friend Billy. Someone had broken in and escaped, probably taking Annabell with them. The only way they could have escaped was out through the woods and the boys down on the reservation knew those woods better than anyone else. After informing Billy of what was going on, he had to make the one phone call he absolutely didn't want to. He had to tell Annabell's father that she was missing.

While Charlie did this, Billy, was getting the La Push gang around. It was only moments after he got the call that they were patrolling the area, making sure they were not seen by any of the police in the surrounding area. The stench of a vampire was easy to pick up, especially because they could all smell the fresh scent of Annabell's blood that went along with it. They knew, with out a doubt that she would probably never be seen alive again but what worried them even more was the fact that they did not find her body.

Still, they did their best to follow the trails but soon the scents were washed away by the rain and they had nothing left to go by. Annabell was gone, taken by a vampire.

Jacob was tormented. He had been on the phone with Annabell when it had happened. He had heard her shaky breaths and he had even heard the sound of a gunshot before the phone went dead completely. He did the only thing he could think of, which was to call else could he do? He was only a fifteen year old kid, he didn't know how to deal with thieves or murderers. He feared that it was the former instead of the latter, that the gun he had heard going off had been hers and not the intruders.

He spent the rest of the night pacing his kitchen, waiting for any news. He had been their when his father had gotten the call and he had still been awake when Sam came to talk hours later. Despite doing his best, he hadn't been able to eavesdrop on the conversation but he didn't miss the look of pity that Sam threw him just before he walked out the door.

The following weeks were hell for Jacob. He had nightmares, dreaming of what could have happened after the phone had stopped working. Some nights he swore he could still hear Annabell's screams even after he woke up.

Every spare moment that he wasn't in school, Jacob spent his time searching the woods and surrounding areas for Annabell. He had even roped his friends, Quil and Embry into helping him. They had both known Annabell and liked her. Jacob even went as far as getting rides to put up fliers in other towns, hoping someone had seen her. He had been to Port Angeles, Seattle, Tacoma and even Olympia.

He was getting beyond frustrated and the longer it stretched with no sightings, no signs, no words, the worse it got. Jacob had always been easy going but now his temper was rearing in ways it never had before. He was snapping at everyone and there had been multiple times when he was so mad, his entire frame shook. He felt near to exploding out of his skin but at the last moment he was always able to reign it in and then he was left feeling hollow afterwards.

The thing that made him beyond angry though was the looks that he got from the La Push gang and even his father occasionally. Whenever Annabell was mentioned, pity would fill their expression and sometimes they would even shake their heads. He didn't understand but he knew that they weren't telling him something and it was not knowing the secret, not knowing something about Annabell, that caused him to phase the day that she was officially pronounced dead.

Yet, even Jacob wasn't suffering as bad as Alisha was. She was only seven and she had already lost both her mother and her sister. She didn't really understand what was going on this time, they were trying to shield her from the truth but at the same time, she knew her sister would never be coming back.

Her eyes were always glazed over with a film of tears and she looked one word away from breaking down into sobs. She had many times already but it seemed as if her tears were never ending. She wanted her sister back and she wanted her mommy.

Her father tried to help, he at least was dealing with his grief properly. He didn't shut down this time but not even losing his wife had prepared him for the pain of losing his daughter. Thankfully, the people at his work were very supportive. They worked extra time to cover his shifts so that he could try to console the last remaining family member he had.

But Alisha didn't get better. She never smiled and she rarely spoke. Instead, she just seemed to gaze out at the world with a haunting gaze. It was a chilling sight.

Her father had wondered about therapy. It was a hard thing to accept, two deaths within a year of each other, especially for a little girl but he promised that he would hold off until after the funeral. He hoped that perhaps it would give her some bit of closure.

So, it was a week later that everyone gathered around an empty casket, to mourn the loss of someone that had only been a part of the town for a few months.

Most of her high school class was there, including the full cheering team. Lauren had been hurt by the news. Annabell had been well on the way to becoming her best friend and she couldn't help but wonder what she had missed out on, now that Annabell was gone. Angela wasn't much different, only pulled her little brothers onto her lap and cuddled them fiercely. Even Jessica seemed to be experiencing real grief. Mike, Tyler and Eric were all there as well, although Mike was the only one out of the three that cried while at the funeral. He had convinced himself that some day he would end up with Annabell and the loss of her destroyed the future that he had planned. Everyone besides him seemed to have known that never would have happened anyways.

There were even quite a few families from the reservation that had shown up. When Annabell became friends with Jacob, she had spent a lot of time down at La Push. It was no secret that quite a few of those people had thought that those two would end up together as they got older so they had come to view her as a sort of adoptive relative.

Jacob was there as well, surrounded by his wolf brothers. Every now and then a tremor would force it's way through his body but he managed to always hold it in. He wanted to be here for all of this. He had lost one of his best friends and he at least wanted to last long enough to say goodbye. It was only the promise that as soon as he did, he would flee to the woods and let the animal within him take over that allowed him to stay.

It was towards the end that Jacob looked up, seeing Annabell's father and her sister standing next to the polished casket. Her father look thinner but he seemed to be accepting the loss quite well. It was Alisha that stood out to him.

Jacob had come to regard the girl as a little sister and seeing her now had him shaking again at the thought of what those creatures had done to her. She looked as if all the color had been drained out of her and even her hair seemed paler somehow. He was sure that she was suffering, perhaps more than anyone even realized.

She looked up and their eyes connected. It was at that moment that Jacob's shaking stilled, his eyes slowly glazing over. Only the others around him noticed the look and only they understood what had happened.

Jacob himself didn't even understand it fully in that moment but he understood enough. He vowed that he would make Alisha smile again, as a promise to her sister that he didn't feel quite so much grief for anymore.

Although it would take months for him to accomplish his goal and years before the small girl was fully healed, it was the one good thing that came out of this whole mess.

 **Asdfghjkl**

The meadow was peaceful, even more perhaps because it was daylight. James was obsessed with us staying in the cave during the day. He didn't want to risk the chance of anyone noticing us but I was pretty sure that plan was shot already. It's not like all the deaths went unnoticed. Between the four of us, Northern California has experienced quite a few missing persons and murders in two months. We were even going farther and farther out but it didn't seem to help. Sometimes James and Victoria would be gone for days but there was always more news in the following days about people disappearing. Granted, it wasn't so many people that there was a giant fuss about it all, it was just starting to become noticeable.

Despite James insistence that we only go out at night, I had sneaked out to enjoy the sun. Well, not really. To be honest I had just waited until James and Victoria were busy with each other before running off into the forest. With my speed and strength, they hadn't had a prayer of catching up to me.

Within a few minutes, I had lost them. Of course, they would be able to follow my trail and James could easily track me but for now, I was alone and that was all that mattered.

This was one of the few times I had seen the sun shinning onto my skin and it always fascinated me. It was as if my skin was made out of small prisms. It bounced the light back, breaking it down into rainbows. It had a beautiful effect but all the same I could see why James was so cautious about being out during the day.

I lowered my arm, letting my eyes drink in the view around me. It had been so long since I had been out like this, truly alone.

Even though Laurent and I got on rather well, I just wanted some time to myself and that is something I haven't had since I was turned.

I understood that I was a newborn, they were responsible for me but I still rebelled. Everyday Laurent commented on my ability to keep myself in control. If I was so good at all of this, then what was the big deal if I wanted a few hours to myself? I would be careful.

In that moment, on the edge of my consciousness I could feel Victoria's mind pop into existence. She was coming this way and fast. I sighed knowing that my small break was over.

During my practice with my gift, it had developed slightly. I could now feel the mind of the others around me without having to focus. It was starting to become second nature. I had even started to be able to tell the difference between Laurent, Victoria and James. I couldn't quite describe it but it was like each mind had a different feel to it. I could tell them apart though it was still hard to describe. Perhaps as I worked with my gift more it would become more clear.

It was only a minute later that Victoria's orange hair shown through the green. She looked severely pissed. Her hair was windswept and had even more bits of leaves in it then usual. Her clothes looked rumpled and I didn't take much to imagine what her and James had been up to when I had escaped.

Her eyes narrowed into slits as she took in my relaxed form.

"Get up," she said, her voice a half growl.

I glanced away from her, looking back to the sky. It was an intense blue with white clouds drifting by, puffy like cotton balls. They were the best type for finding shapes. Hm, I wonder what shapes I could find? That one kind of seemed like a ship and that one was a giraffe's head.

"I said, get up. We're going back." She snarled the words.

I didn't even look away from the sky as she spoke. I had gotten fed up with Victoria the past couple months and I was tired of her attitude. Whenever she spoke to me, it was always condescending, with her head titled back slightly and her nose pointed in the air. Sometimes she even wrinkled it in disgust as if she smelled something putrid. I rankled me and I couldn't help but be on the defensive when she was around. Perhaps now would be a good time to knock her down a peg.

When I didn't answer or move, she leaped at me, her hands curled into claws. At the last second I twisted to the side so she fell were I had been, her arms sinking elbow deep into the earth. Before she could react I kicked out, hitting her in the floating ribs. I could hear the air whoosh out of her as she sailed into a tree.

It cracked as she landed, snapping off a few branches before it shuddered and collapsed. She was up in a second, glaring but it wasn't as fierce as the first time. She was wavering. Victoria's gift was completely based on self preservation so now she was trying to decide if it was worth it. I smirked, liking the thought that I was dangerous enough for her gift to kick in.

In the end, I think it was that smirk that decided it for her. She launched herself at me, not even pausing to think. I swung my body out of the way, grabbing her ankle and swinging her into another tree. She expected it this time though and used the tree to bounce off from as she soared back over to me.

She was going too fast. I wasn't able to get out of the way completely. Her hand closed around my upper arm, squeezing. I could feel it cracking under her grip as I turned, trying to shake her off. Finally, I reached for her fingers, prying them off as I twisted, locking all the joints in her arm against each other. She was up on her toes then, trying to keep the pain away.

I pushed her forward and she fell to the ground but rolled at the last second, coming to stand in a crouch.

I breathed, trying to calm my racing mind and push the newborn instincts away. I had done some sort of martial arts in my human life but the memory was too foggy for me to recall what it was called. Thankfully the movements and techniques had become an instinct for my body to do. The only problem was that they were an instinct for my human body to do, my newborn ones were still stronger right now.

I had to force myself to rely on the human memories I couldn't access but if I got too caught up, the newborn instincts to crush would arise. It was a hard balance and definitely one that was almost impossible to keep while in a fight. Perhaps it would get better as I got older but I needed it now, not later.

Victoria's snarl pulled me from my thoughts as we engaged again. Everything was just a blur as the fight continued. I'm sure any human who watched would not have been able to tell what was going on, they just would have seen the after math, gouging of earth ripped up, trees falling over and the sound of rocks colliding again and again.

For the most part we were at a stale mate. Victoria's power was helping her, she avoided my more powerful blows but still, I was stronger and faster. Then everything changed when she was able to get behind me. Quicker than I thought her capable, her arms shot around me, grasping me in a bear hug. She started squeezing and I could feel my chest cracking under the pressure.

No. Bad. Not good. I started trashing, throwing my wait around. I needed to get out. Couldn't die here. I was snarling too but it wasn't doing any good. Had to be better. I tried forcing my arms out but they were pinned to my waist and at the wrong angle. I could feel my chest heaving as instincts ran through me, trying to do anything to save me. She only tightened her grasp.

"I should have killed you when you were still human." I heard her hiss, her mouth close to my ear. I tried slamming my head back into her. She saw the movement and got out of the way in time. "I'll just have to fix that problem now."

I could tell she was serious, the intent was there. She honestly meant to kill me. I had to focus. Being a newborn wouldn't be good enough. I had to use something other than strength and speed. James had been training me lately to use my gift during fights. I hadn't made much progress yet but I didn't have a choice now.

I turned the volume of my mind up as much as I could, as if turning a dial and then mentally, I screamed. So high pitched that I was sure it would have been able to shatter glass if I were doing it out loud. Thankfully it had the effect I wanted.

Victoria's arms loosened and then dropped from around me as she fell to the ground, howling in pain. My chest was heaving, trying to maintain it as I focused on her form. She was withering, jerking on the ground as her hands pulled at her hair, her fingers scraping against her skull. Only when she had pulled a few red strands out did I stop.

She stilled, her chest heaving even though she did not need the air. Her eyes were dazed, looking blankly looking at the sky before they flickered to me. Her eyes narrowed only now there was something in them that had never been there before. Fear. She was afraid of me, even if just a little. She stood quickly, backing away as I resisted the urge to smirk. Instead, I kept my face blank, my own dark eyes tracking her movements.

She stopped at the edge of the meadow before turning and running, giving me one last hiss as she did. I waved cheerily, giving her the best smile I could manage. Surprisingly, it was rather hard to keep in place. Venom was already flowing to the cracks in my chest, sealing the damage and fixing it. It stung like hell, almost reminiscent of the tortured I had endured during the change.

I sighed, laying back down in the field as my eyes returned to the clouds above me. They had darkened considerably, now a more gray color than the soft white they had been. I took a deep breath, pulling the moist air into my lungs. A storm was coming, rain and plenty of it.

I pushed the thought away as I contemplated what just happened. I had defeated Victoria in a fight. Granted, it was all thanks to my gift but still I had done it. She would go back to James and Laurent. Perhaps she would tell the truth or make it sound as if I attacked her. I would probably be in trouble with James. He had a strict no fighting rule between the members of his coven, I assumed because of the animosity between us two females of the group.

Would it be better if I went back now? Probably, but I shrugged it off, deciding I would rather enjoy my time out in the sun. I refused to bend to his will, to waste what was left of this gorgeous day. The sun was still shinning in spots despite the clouds and I maneuvered so I was directly in it's light. Within a few minutes, it was warming my skin to a pleasant temperature. It was a type of warmth I hadn't felt at all yet in this life. In that moment I could almost imagine being human again, as long as I closed my eyes so I didn't see the rainbows my skin was throwing off.

I laid in the meadow for hours until the sun finally set over the horizon, the dark clouds above growing thicker. When the sky was almost a mass or purple and black, I felt a presence appear at the edge of my range. I concentrated for only a second before I realized that it was Laurent coming this way.

I sighed, finally sitting up from my comfy position nestled within the grass. I might hate Victoria, I might only do what James says because he is the leader but Laurent I respected, it was him I listened to, even if he wasn't my sire.

"You know that might not have been the best plan of action." His voice had the proper amount of reprimand in it but I found that upon hearing it, I honestly didn't care.

"Was James mad?" I asked, glancing at him over my shoulder. Laurent was leaning against one of the trees that had been damaged in the fight. He wore an amused smile and I was sure he would have been laughing right now if he hadn't been sent to bring me back.

"More pleased than anything but he still didn't like the fact that you two were fighting."

I nodded, not surprised.

"I'll give you some advice, even if you don't want to take it." Laurent said, striding towards me. I raised an eyebrow in question, though I didn't speak. I knew that he would elaborate more when he was ready.

"James is always concerned about hunting down his next prey. I've been with him for quite a while and I have never seen him take a break from his favorite hobby. No, it's more than just a hobby for him. It's his life. It is for that reason why he is so fond of Victoria, the one person who can evade him. If James is stopping that to train you, it might be wise to consider why. I can't help but wonder who his next prey is and why he was so elated when he learned about you using your gift against Victoria."

I stilled at his words, my body resembling the stone it was made of. I hadn't thought of it like that but my gift _was_ the only reason James had turned me. If he thought that it was useful then what or who could James try and be hunting? Who did he want to go up against? It was clear that he wanted me to be able to use my gift while I was fighting. He also had been pushing the fact that I was able to make others feel pain with my gift. Just yesterday he had made me drop all three of them during practice. I hadn't been able to hold it long but it had still been debilitating for a second.

"Know this as well. James is not worried about his own life or those he travels with. The greater the risk translate to a greater thrill."

Who was he trying to go against? I stood, stewing for a few moments but I had no clue. My experience in the vampiric world had been limited to myself and the three others. Once, in a city, I had caught sweet scent of another before Laurent had ushered me away, too fast for me to find them or for them to find us.

"When was the last time you hunted?" Laurent asked suddenly and I flinched at the question.

The development of my gift has been a double-edged sword. Although I could now feel the minds of those around me, like pin-pricks of light in the darkness, I could also feel the disappear. With each hunt, with each kill, I had felt the each mind fade, blink out into oblivion. It was unsettling, feeling their deaths in this way. I had quickly become more and more uneasy with the idea of hunting in general. I had been pushing myself to last longer between kills, forcing my limits to increase so I didn't have to feel it.

"The last time was when I went with you." I informed him, not meeting his eyes as I did. I had made it ten days, beating my previous record of seven. It was better than most newborn who Laurent said still had to feed every four days or so at this point.

"That would explain why you're so cranky."

I shot him a glare at his words but he only nodded as if my reaction confirmed his theory. Although I couldn't deny the rush, the satisfaction that came with the hunt, I also couldn't deny the guilt every time I felt the minds of the humans fade away. Recently I had gone to hunting those whose minds felt … off, wrong in some way that I couldn't pin-point. Even that didn't assuage all the guilt though.

"How about we take a hunting trip?" Laurent suggested, tilting his head in the direction of the nearest town.

I stood but even then I shook my head at his words. "Maybe later, I want to go see James first." Perhaps I could find out something about what he was planning. I firmly told myself that this wasn't a tactic to put off hunting just a tad bit longer. It also wasn't a distraction against the burn that had started in my throat at the thought of blood.

"When I gave you that warning, I did not mean for you to approach him about it." His voice had that note of reprimand in it again.

I rolled my eyes, turning in the direction he had come from. "Don't worry, I'll be sneaky."I forced my lips up into a smile, trying to make it look devious.

With that I ran, the forest surrounding me. It was a good hour run from our camp so it gave me a good amount of time to come up with a plan. I wanted to know what James was planning on hunting, why he needed my gift and why he was so pleased with my progress. Those were questions that he wouldn't be willing to answer though, so my best bet would be to spy.

I knew Victoria would still probably be sore over our fight earlier, hopefully she would still be complaining to James about it. If she was, maybe I would be able to over hear something.

As I neared our camp, I jumped into the trees, slowing down so I could creep along the branches. I let my instincts take over, stalking my new prey. I picked thicker branches that would bow under my weight, moving so slow I was silent as I inched my way towards the cave.

It was nearly thirty minutes later that I was within hearing range. They were inside the cave, out of my sight but just close enough to hear.

My biggest hope was that what I was doing wouldn't set of either of their gifts. I wasn't trying to attack Victoria so I shouldn't set her's off. James was another matter though. He was a tracker and was better at this then I was, hopefully his gift wouldn't alert him to my presence.

I strained my hearing, doing my best to pick up the small tones I heard while they talked. After a little bit, I realized Victoria was in fact still complaining. The way she spoke made it sound as if I had ambushed her. I wanted to scoff at that but I only rolled my eyes instead. If I had ambushed her, wouldn't her gift had alerted her of what was going on? It meant that either her gift had failed her or that she was that shitty of a fighter.

James must not have been impressed with what she was saying either because he didn't comment, either to defend her or put me down. For some reason that made me extremely happy, not that I wanted his approval. I just really didn't like Victoria.

Despite all of her hedging, it was a while later that she finally got a rise out of her mate. Perhaps his patience had finally run out.

He growled and I could imagine him turning on her. "I gave you one rule and you couldn't even keep that. She can not be damaged. I already told you that."

Silence descended and I was sure she wouldn't say anything more. I waited though, to see if James would elaborate.

"That gifts is. . ." his voice kept faded in and out as he spoke, only the emphasized words reaching my ears. "what's needed. . ." "biggest hunt ever . . ." "Volturi . . ."

Both their voices fell, silence taking over. I waited but even with my newborn hearing, I couldn't make out anything more, even if they had continued to talk. I think I had heard everything I would in the end but despite that, I didn't even know anything more than I had before. Who or what was the Volturi and beyond that why did James want to hunt them?

 **UPDATED: 6/12/16**


	6. Chapter 6: Change of Plans

Chapter 6: Change of Plans

"They're what?" I asked, although it sounded more like a screech.

"They're basically royalty in the vampire world." Laurent informed me. He didn't look the happiest. "I tried to join their coven once but they denied me."

"And how big are they?" I questioned. I was trying to wrap my mind around the whole concept.

"It depends how much they've grown. When I was last there, they had the three kings, two wives, the elite guard, the inner guard and the outer guard."

"Which is how many?" I wanted a real answer. Originally I was hoping that James wasn't as crazy as it seemed but if he thought four of us could go against all of those people, he was beyond help.

"Forty, perhaps more."

Yup, he is definitely messed up. What the hell is he thinking? I was pacing in front of Laurent as he relayed the information to me. James wanted to go up against the biggest vampire coven in the world, all for the fun of it. I wanted to rip my hair out with the frustration.

"It worries me," Laurent mused.

"Well, if fucking worries me to. Does he really expect me to be able to take down all those people? That's not to mention all the gifts that they could have."

"The Volturi are not ones that are willing to forgive. If you go along with this they will not let you live. Beyond that, if they find out about this plot they may kill you just for knowing." He informed me.

Everyone is fucking crazy. Who the hell would want to go up against a coven that big? Apparently James. This is so not happening.

"So what do we do?" I asked, turning to him.

He shrugged. "There isn't really anything that can be done. You will not be able to sway James. When he starts a hunt, he does not give it up. The question is what will you do."

"Me?" I asked, incredulously. "I'm not even seventeen, how the hell am I supposed to know what to do?"

"You definitely need to go on that hunt."

I growled at his comments but that only meant that I really did. It had been too long and I could feel the thirst in my throat. No matter how much control Laurent was convinced I had, I could only last so long and I had reached my limit for my age right now.

"Then lets go." I said, not waiting for him before I took off. It was foolish of me to hope that after I had fed I would have an answer but still, I couldn't help it.

I could hear Laurent following behind me as I ran with no direction in mind. I simply ran as if trying to escape this problem.

It had taken so long for me to spy on the others and then track down Laurent again that by the time we finally came to a human populated area the day had already begun. Thankfully though it was one of the few cloudy days we had seen so far. We would be able to travel during the day without having to worry about being spotted or about being seen in the sun.

It was nine in the morning when Laurent and I split ways. I had been on enough hunts that I was able to go alone without Laurent having to hover.

We were close to the coast and I allowed the smell of salt water to guide my hunt. When I came over a rise, it was to see a small beach laid out in front of me. I hadn't really expected to see any people out here what with it being cloudy but despite the weather, there were a few families scattered along the length. I cut my breathing off. This place was too open, to crowded. I wouldn't be able to hunt here.

It was stupid to come to the ocean but this had become a favorite place of mine over the past couple months. It was the only place that really seemed to disperse all the hectic energy I had. I guess I had expected coming here to help me solve my problem but I knew it wouldn't.

Still, I didn't leave. Instead I walked down the length of the beach, letting my bare feet trail through the sand. The wind whipped my hair around, strands flying around my head. Seagulls were flying through the sky, landing occasionally on the sand or even diving beneath the water for a few seconds before resurfacing. The waves were white capped and I knew that as long as I lived, I would never get tired of this place. Even though I had no answer, I could feel the stress and worry just melting away. I would find an answer to this, even if it meant just leaving. I wouldn't let James control me like a weapon because I wasn't one. I was my own person and I would fight, I would run. I will start my own life if that is what I had to do.

I'm sure I was standing there contemplating for at least twenty minutes before I noticed the sound of someone approaching. I reached out with my mind, trying to feel for the person. The mind was open, soft and warm. If I had to compare it to anything, it would have been like cuddling with a stuffed animal. I was curious on who could have a mind like that. I hadn't felt any so light before.

I turned to see a small girl smiling up at me. Her hair was blonde and wispy, falling to brush against her shoulders. Her eyes were an incredible brown, deeper than I had ever seen. Her face was babyish so I was assuming she was still young, four, perhaps five. She wore a two piece bathing suit that was bright pink and had ruffles on the top. She held a bucket in her hand that was filled with shells and rocks.

"Hi." Her voice was sugary sweet. I was absolutely sure I had never seen her before but still, something about her was familiar, her image was itching at something in my head.

"Hello." I wasn't sure that I should be talking to her but a part of me wanted to. Other than the three others in my coven, I hadn't talked to anyone I hadn't planned on eating since I was changed.

"Are those your real eyes?" She asked, her head tilting to the side.

Slowly I nodded.

Her eyes narrowed and I was sure she was studying the color before her smile broke into a grin. "I like them. They're pretty, just like you."

I wasn't sure what to say to that. Instead I glanced down the beach, trying to find out who this girl was with. There were a few couples around but none that seemed focused on her, that was real responsible.

"Where are your parents?" I asked her.

She looked surprised before glancing around and pointing to a couple that were laying together on a blanket. I could tell from over here that they were asleep, I could hear their deep breathing. "That's my daddy and my step-mom."

"What about your mom?" I asked her.

"She died when I was little." She said, shrugging her shoulders as if it was nothing. I wonder how young she was. At the same time my heart clenched and vaguely I could remember the pain of loosing my own mother.

"I see." It was only then that I realized I had used the last of my breath to say the words. If I wanted to talk to this girl anymore I would have to take another. I locked my muscles and breathed in. I expected the fire and the venom pooling in my mouth at the scent, that had become normal. What I hadn't expected was the smell of ice cream and vanilla extract that was coming off her. No, not coming off her, coming from her. It was her blood and I was sure that this was the scents that Laurent had been telling me about. Apparently each human did have their own smell, of course it was the one time I both needed to and didn't want to hunt that I first smelled it.

Perhaps it was smelling the unique scent but the fire burned more than it ever had before. I could feel it clawing at my throat as if it was a living thing. The venom that I kept swallowing wasn't helping to put it out.

"Are you okay?" The girl asked, her head tilting to the side.

I nodded, trying to get control of myself. The urge to grab this girl and drain her dry was incredible and resisting was not easy but it was possible. Whatever was familiar about this girl was begging me not to kill her and I was doing all I could to comply.

Still, even beyond that there was a part of me that was wondering why I was trying to resist. I was a vampire, I fed on humans. What was so special about this girl? I could take her and run. Her parents would probably assume she was lost to the ocean and it wasn't like they were really paying attention anyways. No one would ever know what had happened, except for me that is.

"My name is Courtney. What's yours?" She questioned, the smile back.

"Annabell," I told her, although it sounded a little more like a gasp. I could take her but there would always be a part of me that hated myself if I did so. But even then, I didn't know why.

"Do you want to have lunch with me? My dad brought pizza. I know it's a little early but if you're hungry we can have some now." She said as a sparkle of mischief appeared in her eye. "We can sneak it while they nap."

It was that tiny spark in her eyes that changed my future.

My humans memories had always been hard for me to bring up. It was as if they had been buried underneath concrete. What little I had been able to actually remember had always given me a headache to focus on so I hadn't really bothered with the bits I could reach. When I had awoken it had been exactly like being reborn and given a new life, the old one left behind. All I had left was any instincts that had come with me through the transformation. But, seeing that small spark was all it took to burst through the concrete.

As she finished talking, another face took her place. Alisha. I could see the blue eyes and the slightly curly hair. The same spark of mischief she had in her eyes. Although the picture wasn't as clear as with my vampire eyes, it was clear enough.

I could hear her voice, hear her as she yelled "Anny!" I could remember all the conversations we had and just the pure exuberance she always seemed to carry.

I could see my dad, his eyes that were the same exact shade of Alisha's and beyond that I could see the look of disappointment he would wear if he ever knew of what I had done. He was a doctor and he had worked his entire life to save as many people as he could. I had been spending my new life undoing all he had done.

I was killing people, some that were bad but most of whom had probably been good people and even as I felt the disgust and guilt building within me, I still felt the craving for this girl's blood that was pumping through her veins.

She reached forward, taking my hand and the heat of her skin nearly undid me. I had to get out of here, I knew I wouldn't last long. I also knew I wouldn't disappoint my dad any more.

My throat seemed to kick it up a notch as if in protest but I didn't care. I would not drink another drop of human blood, even if that meant I would die without the sustenance. I would not kill a human again.

I pulled my hand out of hers, being gentle to make sure that it wasn't anything that would hurt her. I really didn't want to break her wrist as I was trying to get away. "I need to go." I told her.

Her face fell and her eyes even went a little teary. Oh, she had an excellent puppy dog face. "Do you have to?"

I nodded, taking a step back.

"Well, can we play another time?" She asked.

I was near snapping, I knew it. I wouldn't last. "Sure." I said and then I fled. Not inland, there were too many people. If I was around them I would snap at some point. I wouldn't be able to resist any longer so instead I went to the one place that I hadn't encountered any people before. I fled into the ocean.

I ran up to my knees and then I dived in, submerging myself in the salt water. I took a breath, breathing it in. It felt wrong and immediately my body tried to reject it but I was able to fight the urge. I didn't need to breath and water in my lungs wouldn't kill me. Thankfully the problem gave my mind something else to focus on though and the thirst was pushed back. That didn't mean it was controlled.

I pushed myself deeper, allowing the depths to close around me. A part of my brain was hoping that no one had seen me dive under. I couldn't imagine what they would do when I never resurfaced.

I headed west, straight out into the ocean. But this wasn't a solution. It just got me away from the immediate problem.

What was I going to do?

I had to feed, there had to be a way to do so and I had to do it soon. If I wasn't in control then I would go on a frenzy and I didn't want to imagine what would happen then. But I wouldn't feed on a human. They didn't deserve to die so that I could live and I couldn't leave them alive. Not only would I not be able to stop after I started feeding, but if I left them alive, they would turn into what I was. They didn't deserve that.

There had to be something. What could I do?

I shifted through my human memories, it was easier to do now but it still felt like I was wading through mud trying to reach them. How could I get blood without killing anyone?

Slowly, ever so slowly a memory rose to the surface. It was hazy, foggy but it was there.

When I had been fifteen, my school had put on a blood drive. All I had needed was a signed permission slip from my dad and I had donated. I had gotten sick after but that wasn't the point. The point was it was a way of getting blood without killing anyone. It would be difficult. I didn't even know where anything like that would be kept besides a hospital and I would have to steal it.

But before I could even do that, I would have to figure something else out. I couldn't just walk into a hospital without having fed first. I would only make it a few feet in before the scents drove me crazy, if I even got that far. There had to be an immediate solution. There had to be something.

All the while I was thinking, I was swimming deeper, further out. When I turned to look back, I couldn't even see the beach I had come from, I couldn't even see any land at all. Still, I didn't trust myself so I turned and continued.

It was only a few minutes later that something changed. Most of the fish and other animals around me always kept their distance. They could sense the danger that I presented and because of that they fled. As I hovered in the water, something was different. The fish had been keeping their distance but now they seemed all together gone. It was just me, the water and some seaweed I could see at the bottom of the ocean.

And then a shadow glided past.

I spun, my eyes tracking the shape as all thoughts fled. I was pure instinct now.

The shadow circled and I could see that it was rather large. It was only at it swam closer, the water parting in it's wake that I saw the fins and more importantly the teeth. It was a shark, a great white that was at least six feet long.

It's eyes were a flat black and mirror like. I could see my reflection in them and I could see that my own eyes mirrored its. We were two predators and despite the sharks reputation, he was about to see that I ranked higher than him on the food chain.

It was at the same time that we both swam together although the shark was definitely faster when it came to that. We smashed together with a growl from me, although it felt more like a vibration in my chest.

The shark attempted to take a bite out of my leg but his teeth just grazed along the hard skin with the sound of nails on a chalkboard. I could feel the pressure but in no way did it hurt. Instead the shark turned swiftly and tried for my torso. My clothes gave way under the teeth but my skin didn't. I think he actually lost a tooth or two as he tried.

As for my part, my newborn instinct kicked in. I vaguely recalled that you should punch them in the nose but by the time I remembered it, I already had my arms wrapped around the shark's head, just in front of the dorsal fin. I squeezed and the shark tried to shake me off. The fact that my arms didn't even go halfway around it's body was the only reason why it was able to do so at all.

I bared my teeth at it as it came around for a second pass. It swam at me, this time from underneath me. At the last second, I pushed myself to the side. He swam past me and I was able to latch myself to the underside of the shark as he broke the surface. The air greeted us for about three seconds before we crashed into the water again.

I don't know how it happened but sometime between us leaping out of the water and crashing back into it, my teeth broke it's skin.

Later I would remember the feeling of pushing the water from my lungs as we contacted the air. I would also remember the small inhale I took that brought the scent of blood with it but that would not be until I could think clearly again. As it was now, blood flooded my mouth and I swallowed on instinct.

It tasted salty, so much that it was almost sour. The urge to release myself at the taste was great until I felt the fire diminish in my throat and my teeth sunk deeper into the sharks flesh. Its started swimming erratically again, trying to shake me off but I had a better grip this time. He wouldn't lose me.

More blood filled my mouth and I swallowed again. The taste was still horrible but it helped put out the fire. This blood wasn't as thick as human blood, not as creamy, it was almost like it was watered down but at the same time, below the saltiness, there was a slight sweetness. It almost reminded me of sweet and sour sauce.

The thrashing of the shark slowly dimmed and finally stopped completely as I drank more of the unique blood. By the time it was totally drained I still hadn't decided on whether the new taste was horrible or just different. I felt like I would have to find another shark and try it again before decided. I was actually quite pleased with the idea and I wanted to put it into action but how would I go about catching a shark. I wasn't sure if this one had found me or if I had come upon it. Not to mention it had attacked me. If it had swam away I probably wouldn't have been able to catch it at all seeming it was so much faster.

It was then, as I was contemplating how to catch another shark that I realized I was no longer thirsty. Okay, that might have been a bit of an understatement. I was still thirsty but no where near as much as I had been when I first entered the ocean. I had drank the blood of a shark and it had worked just as good as human blood, to a sense anyway. It didn't taste near as good but it did the same job.

I glanced at the corpse of the shark, my teeth marks in it's skin as I finally realized that I had just solved one of my problems. I didn't have to worry about feeding on any more humans or even worry about stealing donated blood. I could simply hunt the animals in the sea.

I could feel a grin stretching across my lips as I thought of the idea. It could work, I would just have to find out how to catch them first. I reached out and shred the corpse to pieces, working especially around the bite mark. It wouldn't be to good if someone found a dead shark with human like teeth marks in it.

When the shark was just bits of meat floating around me, I swam away. I'm sure some other fish or animal would eat the rest of it.

Although I swam for the rest of the day, it wasn't until sunset that I finally found another shark. This time though it was a hammer head and it put up more of a fight than the great white had managed. The hammer head wasn't as big though so I didn't get as much blood from it in the end not that I needed it at that point.

The hammer head had tasted a little sweeter than the great white but it had also had a certain foulness to it that left a bad taste on the tongue. I wonder, if each person had their own scent and taste, was it possible that each animal could have their own as well?

As the water around me darkened, I realized I would have to head back to Laurent. Although I had solved one problem, I still had to figure out what to do with James. Finding my way back was both easy and hard.

It was hard because there was no trail for me to track in the water so I had to use other means. It was easy because despite how long I had been swimming, I had done some of it rather aimlessly and I was sure I had back tracked at certain points. I wasn't that far from shore and as soon as I found it, finding the beach that I had left from was the most challenging part. Still, it only took about five hours for my travel back.

When I surfaced, it was to see Laurent sitting on the beach, his arms resting loosely around his legs.

I threw him a blinding smile as I waded out of the water, my shirt hanging off my form. I didn't pay it any heed though, I was brimming to tell Laurent what I had discovered. Before I could though, he spoke.

"I have thought about our options and come to the conclusion that we do not have many. I also know that I have lived long and it was not by challenging those who held the power." His eyes met mine before he settled on a look of confusion, glancing over my form. I'm sure he was wondering about the messed up clothing but apparently he wasn't curious enough to ask. Instead, he just continued what must have been a rehearsed speech.

"I will not die for James so therefore I am leaving and I would advise you to do so as well. You can come with me or decide your own path but know that James may decide to turn the hunt on us if we leave him. I would suggest that if you do leave, find a big coven, find someone that could protect you from him. Even go to the Volturi if you want to but know that I will not be staying here, whatever you decide."

I was shocked at his words. To hear that he could so easily leave me behind if it meant that he might die caused a pain in my chest, although I could quickly feel the anger churning in my stomach. I couldn't believe he could just leave so easily.

I took a breath in to retort to his comment and as I did, the fire in my throat roared to life. I locked my muscles at the scents of the humans that must have spent their day on the beach and even after all the time, I could still smell a hint of vanilla. Despite the two sharks I had dined upon, my throat burned dry and venom pooled. I didn't understand it though. I wasn't thirsty. I was actually uncomfortably full, I could feel the blood sloshing around in my stomach. Why would I still have such a reaction?

Either way it seemed I would need more control if I didn't want to kill any more of them.

I focused back on Laurent, he was still waiting for an answer. "I will leave." I told him. I'm sure James and Victoria wouldn't be to impressed with my change of heart when it came to my diet and beyond that, I wasn't going to attack another coven. "But, I think I will go on my own."

I was still slightly annoyed with Laurent and perhaps if our paths crossed again, I would be more inclined to be civil but as it was right now, my thirst raging and my new born emotions going crazy, I really didn't want to be around him.

He nodded, although he looked slightly surprised. "I see. Then let me just say that you should be careful. What with being a newborn, don't make mistakes or you'll be going up against the Volturi whether you want to or not."

I nodded, not willing to speak. Not to mention I would have to take another breath to say anything else. He stood, his eyes roaming my form and I distantly wondered if I would ever see Laurent again. I had been telling the truth when I said that I looked at him as a sort of father figure and I would miss him when he left, although right now I didn't want to admit that. I would deal with it later.

He nodded once again and then he turned and left. I watched until his dark hair had vanished within the forest and then I turned back to the water. I knew that without a doubt, it would be my home for the foreseeable future.

I dived in, breathing the water into my lungs once again. This time though, instead of heading west out to the ocean, I headed north, up along the coast. I would go to a place where there were few humans, a place where I could learn to hunt and control myself without having any casualties. I would go to Alaska.

wooh, finally she is going to be meeting the Cullens soon. I don't know about you but I can't wait. Thank you to all the guest that have been leaving reviews. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you next Monay when Annabell comes face to face with Asshole.


	7. Chapter 7: Humans are Friends, Not Food

Chapter 7: Humans Are Friends, Not Food

Edward POV

To say I had been expected my day to turn out the way it did would have been a vast understatement. Not even Alice could have predicted what was about to happen.

For me, it started out the same as any other hunt.

After we had moved back up to Alaska, we had stayed here. Sure, it got crowded sometimes with twelve vampires under one roof but we managed. Partly because we were still trying to decide what to do.

We could always move to another town ahead of schedule but something seemed to be holding us here. Not to mention Rosalie was adamant that we stay in one place. She was still furious with me for forcing us to leave.

The one downside about everything was dealing with Tanya's advances. Even when I could read minds, I still couldn't always stay ahead of all her different ideas to lure me in. I just wished she would realize that it would never happen. I was running out of ways to politely decline all of her invitations.  
Jasper and Emmett seemed to find it all amusing and the jokes they were constantly telling didn't help the situation. Still, it was the one thing that kept the atmosphere at least somewhat light.

When the rest of my family had joined me a week later, we had told the Denali's about what had caused our abrupt move. They had been surprised, I hadn't had this much trouble since I was young but at the same time they had been proud. I had resisted in the end and that was all that mattered.

But the trouble was that I was still resisting. That scent still tormented my thoughts and I seemed to always have a yearning to go south. Sometimes I gave into it but I always stopped at the border. No matter how much I wanted to go back, I never gave in. I wouldn't ruin her life. I even made sure that Alice stopped looking into her future. Even though Alice tried to block it, she still got glimpses occasionally and it was always the same. Annabell, her skin white and her eyes red.

I had to wonder what would cause it. Would I give in one time and not be able to stop myself? Would I make the mistake and turn her? I thought I was stronger than that but when the visions never changed, I had to wonder if at some point, I would break.

That was one of the reasons I had upped my number of hunts. I had to stay strong, no matter what and it helped if I was well fed. I had taken to hunting in a small valley to the south that was a few hours run away.

It was private and had a good amount of animals for me to hunt. The only problem was that is situated relatively close to a town. I had to be careful that there were not any people around before I let my instincts take over. It wouldn't do well for me to start a hunt just for it to end with a dead person.

As I headed that way now, I had to admit that I was still thinking about her, even after all this time. I could still see her face, oval shaped with thick lips. Her gray eyes that seemed to be an exact copy of storm clouds and her soft brown hair that surrounded them.

I shook my head, trying to eject the image. Focusing on my surroundings helped but still, it didn't stop it. I knew that the image of her would haunt me for the rest of my existence.

Eventually I came to the valley I usually hunted in. I cast my mind out, trying to hear any thoughts that might be in the area. I also inhaled but all I could smell was the forest around me and even a small scent of moose.

I was just about to start my hunt when I caught a whisper. I could feel my head tilting as if that would allow me to hear better but even then I knew that it was in my mind that I was hearing this. It was only a brush of noise against my hearing at my very limit.

 _Humans . . ._

For once I felt something other than disgust and self-loathing filling me. I felt curiosity. It wasn't common for me to find people in this area, human or other. Even less common was for me to be able to hear something so far out. My range was usually about a mile but I could tell the thoughts were coming from even farther away.

I took off running to the south east. It both surprised me that as I got closer, the thoughts not only got louder, but I realized that it was another mile away before I caught the scent of another one of my kind.

By then I was able to hear them clearly. They were chanting, a phrase over and over again but even though I could hear them in my mind, or a she would be better seeming the voice was clearly feminine, I could not reach into her mind.

 _Humans are friend, not food. Humans are friends, not food. HUMANS ARE FRIENDS, NOT FOOD._

We were hovering on the edge of human civilization, another half mile away and the town started up. The shouting that was in my mind caused me to wince but at the same time, it caused my curiosity to spike.

Who was here and what were they trying to do? Obviously they were trying to resist but why? The thought of a vampire that had chosen a life like our own filled me with hope and I took off even faster, running to find the source.

I followed the scent, a combination between the ocean and something fruity. It was interesting and not something I had encountered before. Within a few seconds, I paused as the figure came into view.

She was curled in a ball, her arms locked around her legs and she even seemed to be rocking slightly. Despite the loud yelling I could hear in my head, she was muttering as well. "Friends, not food. Friends, not food." The mantra seemed to be helping her but I wondered how long she had been working to resist the smell of humans. It had even taken Rosalie quite a while to be able to stand the scent of humans without going into a frenzy.

Because of her posture, I couldn't tell much more about her. Her face was buried in her arms, long and tangled brown hair hung around her, almost a curtain between her and the world.

I wonder if she had noticed me yet. She hadn't reacted to my presence so I would assume not. Would speaking set her off? I would have to try.

"Hello." I said. I made sure that my voice was as soft and harmless sounding as I could make it. Still, her reaction wasn't what I had been expecting.

She lifted her head and I gasped, seeing the face of the girl who had been stuck in my head for the past six months. She was the same as she had been in Alice's visions only now, her eyes were shut tight, her jaw locked.

"Leave me alone." She shouted at me, her voice shooting through three octaves.

She buried her head in her arms again and went back to rocking back and forth but despite her request, I couldn't.

How had this happened? Annabell was here and she was a vampire. I didn't understand and the shock had me frozen in place. What should I do and beyond that when had this happened? What was she doing here?

The questions circled in my mind as I stood there in front of her, all the while the litany she was thinking continued. She must have realized I hadn't left because her voice came again, only this time she didn't raise her head. "I said leave." It was near a growl but still I couldn't.

"Annabell?" I asked, although I already knew the truth. It was her, I just didn't know how.

Her rocking stilled and slowly her head lifted. Her eyes met mine and again I was shocked beyond anything I had expected. I had assumed her eyes would be red, she must have been a newborn after all. There was even a part of me that thought they might be tinted gold, especially if she was trying to resist the scent of humans. I hadn't been expected this though.

Her eyes were lilac in color, something I had never seen on a vampire before. First my mind jumped to contacts. If blue contacts were worn over red eyes it made them purple but as I looked for them, I could tell she wasn't wearing them. There was no rim that would give that away. Her eyes were well and truly violet. More questions erupted in my head as her thoughts went silent and again I could feel the simmer of annoyance I had the first time I met her. I still couldn't hear her.

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion before they widened in surprise. Her mouth parted and she spoke again. "Asshole?"

Today was the day, I was going to test my control. I had spent almost a month journeying north. I was sure I could have made the trip in a quarter of the time but I had gone slow, perfecting my hunting method.

I had found out soon that I couldn't hunt the same I did when I was on land. There I could rely on scent but I couldn't do that here. The water only held the scent of salt and occasionally blood if something was bleeding out.

No, I had found that I had to taste the water instead. My tongue could pick out the small particles left behind from the different sea life and I could track them through that. It wasn't perfect but it was better than nothing.

I had spent that whole month underwater. I would admit that a lot of the time I had spent exploring. I had found various caves and shipwrecks that were always fascinating to dig through.

I had arrived in Alaska four days ago and after spending most of that time hunting, two sharks, a sea lion and even a small killer whale, I had finally decided that I was ready to test my control. I surfaced and for the first time in a while, I forced the water out of my lungs and breathed in air.

I wasn't going to lie, it felt wrong at first. I had gotten used to the full feeling in my lungs that water caused and breathing in air again, well it felt a little weird. I took a breath, filling my lungs before I climbed out of the water and onto land again.

Apparently even being out of the water felt weird. My limbs felt heavier with gravity acting upon them and I almost wanted to flee back into the water. Maybe I could just stay there from now on, no need to come up on land at all. Who needed to test their control anyways?

I shook the thought away. I was going to test my control. I was pretty sure I would be able to resist but at the same time, it had been a while since I had smelled something so sweet. I had been settling with salty and I didn't know what would happen.

I ran inland, looking for the closest town I could find. It didn't take long for me to find a road and then I traveled upon it until I could see houses in the distance. I stalked into the woods doing my best to stay hidden. Eventually I found a small grouping of trees that were close together. I sat against one, my back to it as I braced myself.

I took a breath in, the first since I had climbed out of the ocean. The scent of humans weren't thick here but it was still prominent. As soon as the sweetness hit my noise, my throat felt parched. After another breath it was burning. I was used to the feeling but it was the smell that drove me crazy. Although I was thankful that unlike last time, I only smelled the sweetness, no individual smells like I had with Courtney.

When I had hunted humans, it had only been the promise that I would soon taste the blood that had kept me sane. Now, I refused to drink any of it and that only seemed to make it worse.

"Friends, not food." I muttered, taking another breath as I tried to figure out where I had heard that from. It was definitely a human memory. Focusing on that seemed to help me ignore the scent a tad better but it was still there.

I was sure it was a movie that I had watched, one Alisha had liked. I could remember a deep voice intoning, 'fish are friends, not food.' Well, that was wrong for me. I fed on fish if they were big enough. Humans are friends, then. That would work.

I started chanting the phrase in my head, hoping that if I said it enough times, it would be drilled into my brain. Perhaps then I wouldn't have to worry about the smell.

I buried my head into my arms, grinding my teeth together as I kept breathing in. I had to resist but at the same time I had to get used to the smells. It wouldn't do if I would have to walk around humans and not be able to talk. I guess I could always claim being deaf but then I would have to learn sign-language. That might not work though, I think people would get suspicion if they noticed that I wasn't breathing.

While I was going over all of this, I was still chanting the phrase in my head. It seemed to be getting slightly better but still, most of my mind was focused on the burning, the ache, the sweet scent.

And then I felt something. A mind approaching. It was only when I realized this that I realized that I had curled up into a ball and was actually rocking while I did my best to resist the scents. If it helped, I wasn't going to complain though. I focused in on the mind, another distraction. It was definitely someone of my own kind, they were moving much to fast for it to be human. The mind itself also seemed incredibly open, even more so than Courtney's had. Despite that, the feel of the mind also reminded me of gazing up at the night sky. It was like the person had all these colors to them but they carried a darkness as well.

The urge to see this person, to learn about who would have such a mind flared. Yet, as it did, I felt my control slip a notch. I wanted the sweet taste of the human blood and if I wasn't paying enough

attention, I could lose.

I returned to my chant as I tried to ignore the person coming my way but still part of my mind kept tabs on them. It was really only a few seconds later that they stopped in front of me, soundless.

The silence that stretched between us lasted probably a full minute before I heard a soft, "Hello."

It was definitely a guy, his voice, even though it was low and soft, was too masculine. I felt my control slip another notch and as it did, my anger burned just as hot at my throat. "Leave me alone." I shouted at him, my head raising as I did so but even then my eyes were screwed shut. I was trying to get my control back in hand while inside I was snarling at the scent.

After a few seconds he didn't leave so again I spoke, this time not bothering to look up. "I said leave." It was almost a growl as I said the words.

There was a few more seconds of silence before he spoke, his voice sounding almost strangled as he did. "Annabell?"

I felt my muscles stiffen as I heard the name and the scents around me were all but forgotten. I had only known three vampires in my life and this person in front of me was not one of them. His mind did not feel familiar and his voice wasn't either. Almost hesitantly I looked up and my eyes met his.

I knew him, or at least I had seen him before but he looked different. His hair was a wild array of colors ranging various shades of red. Parts were so deep that they were almost brown while other strands looked copper and even an almost blonde in a select few places. He was pale, like all vampires were but the thing that stuck out the most to me were his eyes. They were a deep golden, almost hovering on the verge of being hazel. But how? I thought all vampire's eyes were red or black depending on how much they had fed. I was sure Laurent would have told me about this if it was possible for vampires to have different colored eyes.

I shook the thought away, focusing on him again. He looked utterly shocked and not to mention he had said my name so he knew me. Where did I know him from? Slowly a memory arose of sitting in a class room with a statue sitting next to me, of dark glares and stony silence.

"Asshole?" I asked, although I was sure that wasn't his name, that was all I remember him as. He looked utterly exasperated at the word and even slightly annoyed. Still though, there was confusion and shock deep in his eyes. He kind of looked a little lost actually. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

My question seemed to bring him back to reality because he blinked and his eyes looked a little more focused. "I think I should be asking you that question. Shouldn't you be in Forks and human for that matter?"

He almost sounded angry but I didn't quite understand why he would be. I shrugged to his question, not sure how to answer that.

"Shouldn't you be down south?" I asked, vaguely recalling that his sister said that was there they were moving. What was her name again? Something that started with A, something that was close to Alisha.

He snorted at that. "You should know why we didn't go south."

I nodded in understanding, realizing he was right. The silence that descended after that was slightly awkward as I didn't know what to say to him. He stilled seemed a little out of it before I heard a phone ringing in his pocket.

He pulled it out, whipping it to his ear. I could hear a shrill voice coming through the speaker but it wasn't loud enough for me to be picking out the words themselves.

"I know," he said, to whomever was on the other side. "I will. See you when I get back."

The phone was shut and in his pocket within a fraction of a second before he turned back to me. "Where are you staying right now?" He asked.

I took a moment of thinking before shrugging. So far I had mostly just been hunting in preparation for this. The thought of finding a place to stay hadn't exactly occurred to me yet.

"Would you like to come with me?" He asked, gesturing back the way he had come. "My family would love to meet you."

I thought about his offer but the thing that interested me the most was the idea of a home. Even with James and the others, we had just stayed in the woods. I wonder what their home would look like. That and the fact that he had referred to them as family and not his coven. "Where is it?" I asked him.

"A few hours run. We could easily make it before the sun rises." He said, holding his hand out towards me.

I hadn't even focused on the sun to be honest. I had just wanted to test my control but as I looked at his hand, I felt the curiosity in me building. Laurent had known a great deal and I had learned a lot from him. I wonder what I could learn from Edward and his coven. Beyond that, I craved the company of others. After a whole month spent in solitude, I kind of just wanted someone to talk to.

I placed my hand in his and even though I didn't need it, he helped me to stand. As he did, his eyes roamed my form and I looked down at it as well. The pants that I had been wearing were now more capris and they had plenty of holes and rips in them. Fighting with sharks didn't leave clothes in a good condition. My shirt was almost completely faded of color and was thread bare. I was just glad that it still managed to cover up all the important stuff right now. Not to mention I had no shoes whatsoever.

"We could also get you some new clothes if you wanted it." He offered.

I shrugged, not really caring about clothes in this moment. I was more focused on the idea of meeting others of our kind. "Lead the way." I told him.

He nodded before turning and taking off. I followed only a few steps behind him. During the next few hours, we didn't speak but I constantly caught him glancing back at me. His eyes would go over my form, stop on my hair but they would always rest on my eyes and he seemed more confused each time he looked at me. Still, I didn't question it even though I was curious about his as well. Why were they golden in color? Why not red or black? What could cause the change? If I remember right, his sister had the same color as well. What about the others in his coven? Were they the same? And how many were in his coven? I think I remember a few others and his sister had said something about a father. Still that could all have just been a lie.

Mostly though, I was intrigued about the fact that I had known a group of vampires while I was still human. Not only that but they had also gone to school with humans, interacted with them and no one had died, that I remembered. They were able to stay hidden in the world while I had trouble even smelling the scents of humans. That ticked me off slightly but more than that I was amazed, it gave me something to strive towards.

After a few hours, I started picking up scents of other vampires, probably old paths that they had taken. Still, there were too many that overlapped and all the scents just sort of mixed together. I couldn't tell how many there were of this other coven and that worried me just a tad.

It was only a little bit later that the trees around us thinned and then a giant field opened up. Situated in almost the exact center was a house and a rather large one at that. The roof sloped at different angles created a design that looked quite odd. The front, the direction we were approaching from, had lots of windows and I caught a flash of white in one of them before it disappeared. I'm sure one of his coven members.

We ran to the front door where he paused, looking back at me again. He then opened the door, gesturing for me to go through it. I took a steadying breath and stepped through the threshold. The inside of the house was open, the living room large and looked to take up most of the first floor. It was decorated with earthy tones from a brown near black to a tan that was so bright it was almost white.

The one thing that was missing though, was the other coven members. I could smell a mesh of scents but again there was too much to tell how many. I could however hear lithe footsteps coming from many places around the house. Then there were two people walking through a door at the end of the room.

My head whipped around, focusing on the couple. As soon as I saw her face, her name jumped to the forefront in my mind. Alice. I recognized her but as I looked at her now I realized my drawing of her had not done her justice. Behind her stood a man with honey colored locks and eyes to match. He was taller than her and seemed on edge, especially as he stared at me.

Alice didn't seem to feel the same. She walked right up to me, wrapping me in a hug that startled me more than anything. I stood still, not sure what I should do. Before too long though she pulled back, her nose wrinkling in disgust.

"Uh, you smell so fishy. Come on, we'll get you a shower and new clothes before you meet everyone else." She said, already dragging me across the room and up a flight of stairs. I found myself more amused than anything in that moment. Still, I shot a look back at Asshole, biting my lip as I did. It was only then that I realized I still didn't know his name.

He nodded in encouragement and then he was gone from view as I was led down a hall. Alice walked down the hall to the last door before pushing it open and walking in. I didn't even have time to take in the room before I was thrust into the bathroom.

Alice already had a shower going and steam filled the room. I'm not going to lie, I was already a little overwhelmed at everything that was happening.

"There is a towel on the rack. Use whatever you want to and I'll get some clothes for you while you're in there."

Before I had time to respond she was gone and then I was alone again. I walked over to the door, locking it before I started getting undressed. I knew it was a useless gesture, it would take no more than a flick of the wrist of any one of us to take down the door, but still it comforted me.

I climbed in the shower and I couldn't help the pleased sigh as I felt the hot water. The ocean, even in northern California had never been warm, not that it had been cold seeming nothing was really cold to me. Still, the water had just kept getting cooler as I went north. It had been a while since I felt, actually warm, I think the last time was back in that meadow where Victoria had attacked me. This however was more than just warm. It was scorching hot and it felt amazing.

As I stood under the water though, I cast out my mind, closing my eyes to concentrate. I wanted to know what was going on and as soon as I felt all the minds around me, I was overwhelmed. The closest one to me, I assumed was Alice, had a very active mind. She may look elfin or fairy like but her mind was more like a dragonfly. I could imagine her flitting around and around.

Outside the door, there was the man who had been hovering over Alice. His mind reminded me of the gun that we always kept in the house back home. There was a dangerous edge to him if you were on the receiving end but at the same time, having him with you would make you feel safer.

There were more minds out there, nine to be exact but they were to confusing to focus on, especially when I didn't know anything about them. I ignored the rest of them, focusing again on the shower.

The shower itself wouldn't have taken as long as it had if it weren't for my hair. I mean I had been in the ocean for the past month, it wasn't like I was dirty but my hair was a tangled mess from it. I probably used half a bottle of conditioner trying to get it untangled. After it finally was, I went through and washed it properly before turning the shower off and stepping out.

The towel that was on the rack was long thankfully, I could wrap it around myself with extra to spare, not to mention it fell down to my knees instead of just covering my butt.

There was a knock on the door as Alice's voice came again. "I have some clothes for you if you're ready."

In that moment, despite everything that could go wrong in the next few minutes, I was glad that I had taken Asshole's hand, I had at least gotten a nice shower out of all of this.

Thank you guest, whoever you are for leaving a review. Next Monday, Annabell meets the rest of the Cullens and the Denalis.


	8. Chapter 8: Interrogation

Thank you to dad1 and Nikky Black for leaving reviews, they were very appreciated and yes these chapters are a little shorter than my other story. They are all around 4k but if you look at the beginning of my other stories, those chapter started out a bit shorter as well. I'm hoping that the chapters will start getting a bit longer as I get more into things, but until then enjoy. P.S. It's not Bella but still thank you for caring about this story. It makes me very happy.

Chapter 8: Interrogation

I tried not to fidget as I met the stares of the four vampires in the room but I didn't succeed entirely. My fingers were playing with the edge of the shirt I wore, a dark blue one that I was sure was made out of silk and fit me almost perfectly. I wondered where Alice had gotten it. She had also supplied me with a pair of dark jeans and blue flats. I had put on the clothes without any fuss, just thankful to be wearing something that wasn't filled with holes.

After I was dressed, she had brought me back down the stairs and through a door at the end of the room. It appeared to be an office, or a small library seeming every wall was filled with books.

A huge desk sat facing the door, one seat behind it and two in front of it.

A man sat behind the desk who seemed to be in his twenties, maybe mid-twenties. He had a head of blonde hair and there was almost an air of compassion around him. I focused and I could almost instantly feel his mind. It was similar to Laurent's, they both had a feeling that reminded me of books. His mind though was different, there was a keenness to it and there was a scent of a wood fire. It brought to mind the feeling of home and safety.

Asshole stood behind him, his eyes focused on me, a slight smile still on his face that he seemed to be trying to make reassuring.

Alice led me to one of the seats in front of the desk while she sat in the other. The male, who had been following us rather silently, took a place standing behind my chair and I wasn't sure I was completely comfortable with it.

"Annabell."

I turned to Alice. She smiled, gesturing as she spoke. "This is Carlisle, our father and of course you know Edward."

Now that she said the name it did seem familiar, I would have to remember that I couldn't refer to him as Asshole anymore. Also interesting was that she had referred to him as their father, not as their leader. I remember it was the same as she had before but know that I knew, it had a different meaning.

"That one is Jasper and he is a lot friendlier than he seems." She said, shooting him a look.

"Now Annabell, is it okay if we ask you a few questions?" Carlisle asked, settling his arms on the desk in front of him.

Hesitantly, I nodded although I wasn't sure what they wanted to know or why they seemed to have such an interest in me for that matter. I realized I had known them when I was human but I had really only known Alice and that had only been for a week. "Only if I can ask my own as well." I said, as an afterthought.

He nodded before asking his first question. "May I ask what you are doing up here?"

I tensed slightly, not sure what to say about that. Should I tell them about what James's plan? Should I tell them I was trying to change my diet? They did seem different but that doesn't mean they would be appreciative of what I was doing.

"Next." I said, trying to look slightly defiant as I said it.

Carlisle blinked in surprise as Edward lips twitched up into a smirk. "Alright," Carlisle said. "May I ask after the circumstances of your change?"

I chewed my lip, not quite sure why he wanted to know that. Still, I was sure it would do no harm to tell him. "I was attacked one night by a tracker named James. He had meant for me to be his meal but at the last moment he decided to change me instead."

Carlisle nodded as behind me, Jasper spoke up. "How long ago was it?"

Was this why he seemed to be so on edge? Because I was young? "About three, maybe four months ago. I think it was back in March." I told him, I had to close my eyes to really focus on it. "It was the 13th, I guess that day really is unlucky."

Alice giggled next to me, causing me to smile just a little. It was nice that she at least wasn't being a statue right now.

"You're incredible controlled for one that young." Carlisle spoke, his voicing praising. "Edward said that he found you on the edge of a human town and that you were testing yourself."

If anything this just seemed to make Jasper more tense. I could practically hear him stiffen behind me.

"That's what I've been told." I informed him, ignoring the second half of his comment. Why would it have really mattered to them what I was doing?

I took this time to ask my own question. More than anything, I wanted to know about their eyes and why they were gold. I wanted to know what made them different than my old coven. It was a question that was gnawing away on my brain. "If you don't mind me asking, why are your eyes gold?" I asked.

A small smile graced his lips before he spoke. "Back when I was first turned, I ran from civilization. I knew what I had become and I didn't want to harm anyone. I tried killing myself in many ways, drowning, poison and so on but as I'm sure you know, it's not easy to kill one of our kind."

I knew my eyes were wide in that moment. Although I missed my family, this life seemed didn't seem that bad so why would he try to kill himself? What had happened? At the same time, I felt respect for him surfacing within me. He had striven to keep people safe from himself from the very beginning where it had taken me months to find my consciousness. I was experiencing how hard it was so I could only imagine, trying to do it being from the very beginning like he must have done.

"I was in the forest one night when a deer passed me by. On instinct I attacked it and I found that the blood of animals could sustain me. I perfected my control and as I grew, my family took on my way of life." He said, gesturing to those around him. "Our eyes are different because our diet is. Human blood causes the eyes to be red which I'm sure is what your old coven drank."

I was nodding along as he talked about his past and I felt increasingly excited. Here were others that were similar to myself, a whole group of them. Perhaps I wasn't as weird as I had thought. The hectic energy was back and more than anything I wanted to know more.

"Speaking of hunting habits, I would be delighted to learn about yours." He spoke, his hand out to me.

Slowly, I looked up, meeting his eyes and I could feel a growl forming in my throat. How did he know? "I didn't say anything to suggest that I hunted any differently than others of our kind." I spoke, the words almost sounding like a hiss. How did they know this?

Almost immediately a wave of calm seemed to sweep through the room. I could feel my muscles relaxing but still my mind was haywire. I didn't like what was going on, I wasn't in control.

Carlisle leaned back in his chair as if to give me room while beside me I could hear Alice reaching into her pocket.  
"Well, other than the obvious reason, you were muttering about humans being friends, not food." Edward said, a slight smirk on his lips. I'm sure I would have been blushing in embarrassment if I could have.

"Here," Alice said, holding a mirror out to me while I wondered what he had meant by the obvious. After a second, I reached out and took it, looking into it.

I noticed right away what he had meant, I just hadn't had time to put two and two together. If the blood of animals had caused their eyes to change, then of course my eyes should be different as well. What I hadn't been expecting though was for my eyes to be a very light purple, almost lilac in color.

 _Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!_

I was too astonished as I stared at my reflection to be able to control my gift so it didn't surprise my when everyone in the room visibly jumped. "Why are my eyes like this?" I asked, swallowing reflexively. "If I hunt animals as well, shouldn't they be the same as yours?"

I felt like I was going to hyperventilate. Could vampires even do that?

"That was what I was wondering," Carlisle said, seeming to have regained his composure. "Can you tell me what it is exactly that you hunt?"

"I've been hunting animals from the ocean." I explained, controlling my breathing although the I was still slightly freaked out about my eyes. "Fish, whales, sharks, the whole lot."

I could tell he was surprised. His eyes flared wide and his mouth even opened a little. I was still too startled though to really pay attention to any of the others around me.

"Interesting." He mumbled it, almost to himself. "You see, we only hunt those on land. We've never needed to hunt anything from the ocean."

"Do you think the different types of animals could cause a change in color?" Edward asked, sounding excited. His words kept coming faster and faster. "I'm assuming the red from being newborn is making her eyes turn purple so when she gets older they will be blue. Land animals cause gold, sea cause blue, what about birds? Perhaps avian species cause a different color as well. It's a fascinating idea and not one we've ever considered but we've never needed an alternative to our food source, there has always been plenty for us."

"Perhaps that would be best deliberated on at another time." Jasper spoke from behind me, jumping me slightly.

Alice patted my arm reassuringly. Edward paused before straightening back up, standing behind Carlisle again. His face fell into the blank mask he had been wearing before, any hint of excitement gone.

"Now, I assume that was your gift that allowed us to hear your thoughts earlier." Carlisle stated, seemingly back in control of this interview.

"Sorry, I was a little startled." I said, looking down at my lap. Now that I understood how he had known, there was no more mistrust. I actually felt a little bad about my reaction to his words. "I still don't have the best control of it."

For the most part I hadn't had anyone to practice on recently. Although I tried to meditate, my gift had reached a sort of stand still.

"Don't worry. You are still young and trying to master it can be challenging, not to mention we did provide you with quiet a surprise."

My lips twitched into a smile and I couldn't help but agree. "I can project my thoughts so that others can hear them." I explained to them. "It's why James decided to turn me in the end. I had done it when I was human and and he was curious about my gift."

I kept out the fact that I could project at different levels and especially the fact that I could hurt people with them. I didn't want a repeat of what had happened with James. I might know these people but I didn't _know_ them.

Carlisle nodded but it was Edward who spoke next. "That's not all you can do." He said, looking slightly annoyed again. I could feel my eyebrows rising in curiosity. How would he know what I could and couldn't do?

"I can read minds, hear thoughts." He told me, his eyes not leaving my own. "Yours however, are blocked a good portion of the time. It's almost as if you are shielding me."

So, he can't hear me? For some reason, I was really glad that for the most part, he wasn't able to. "Why is that?" I asked. Despite my question, I had a good guess as to why he couldn't. If I could control the volume of my thoughts and make them so loud that other could hear me, then I should also be able to make them so quiet that no one could hear me. Hm, I wonder if I could make him hear me without actually projecting?

"Your guess is as good as mine." He said. "Even when you were human I couldn't hear you, well except for when you were mad."

I raised an eyebrow, sure there was a story behind it. Carlisle took over so I was sure I wasn't going to get it right now.

"We have quite a few gifted vampires in our own family." He said. "Other than Edward here who can hear thoughts, Alice can see the future."

She gave a little wave as he spoke her name and I couldn't resist smiling.

"Jasper can also feel and control the emotions of others. He also had quite a bit of experience with newborns which is why he is a bit on edge. You don't act as a usual newborn would."  
He was bringing up my control again. I wanted to roll my eyes but out of respect I refrained from the action. At the same time, I realized what that wave of calm had been. He had sent that, changed my emotions. To be honest I wasn't that happy about the revelation.

"I don't want to make you feel overwhelmed so if you would like we could pause for a moment." Carlisle suggested. "You could meet the rest of us before we continue, that is if you don't have anything else you would like to tell us or ask us."

I made sure that I didn't react to his comment. Should I tell them why I had left? Should I tell them about the plans James had made? Would they turn on me if they knew what had happened? What he had planned might be considered breaking the law and despite how cordial they have been, I still didn't trust them. The only one I really even knew at least somewhat was Alice and even then the memories were fuzzy. I didn't know if there were people I could trust. In the end, I just nodded, implying that we should take the break.

The three of us stood as Alice took Jasper's hand, leading the way out the door. Jasper seemed a little more relaxed having contact with her and even smiled when she looked at him. As soon as I walked into the room, I froze, catching the sight of eight more people settled in the living room.

Almost immediately I could feel their minds but I was too overwhelmed in that moment to really focus on any of them enough to get an actual feel of them.

Three of them sat clustered around a love seat while five of them were around the couch.

"Everyone, meet Annabell," Edward spoke, his arm coming up next to me as he gestured to everyone. "Annabell this is our family."

His other arm moved, going to rest on the small of my back but I immediately stiffened, stopping from any contact ever taking place. When he saw, he took a step back and I had a little more space to myself. It seemed to help but I still felt majorly crowded with all these vampires in one room.

I tried not to focus on the feel of their minds as they were introduced.

"That is Rosalie and Emmett," Edward spoke, pointing to two vampires. Rosalie was classically beautiful, there was no other word to describe her, long blonde hair and an amazing figure. She gave me a small almost hesitant smile.

The man next to her was huge with bulging muscles. He sported a head of brown, curly hair and a wide grin. Despite his big frame, his easy smile made me think that he might be more friendlier than he appeared.

"And this is Esme."

This time it was a woman who appeared a bit older. She had dark and wavy brown hair that fell around her face. She had a motherly look to herself which might have been helped along by the look or absolute love in her eyes as she looked at everyone who had just come out of the room.

"This is my family." Carlisle spoke, stepping around me as everyone joined their respective covens. "These are the Denali's, our cousins."

There were three of them that all looked similar with long blond hair. Two of them actually looked even more so. Both had straight, pale hair and even the same face and eye shape, similar enough so that I wondered if they were family before their change. The third one had a full head of completely curled, strawberry blonde hair. She also had an aura around her of power, similar to both Carlisle and James. She was definitely the leader of this coven.

Standing with the group of three females but also slightly to the side, were two others. They seemed almost the opposite of the other three with short dark hair. The female's hair was a little longer than the males although the both had the olive-like tone that Laurent had.

All five of these vampires also had gold eyes and open smiles.

"This is Tanya, Irina, Kate, Carmen and Eleazar." Carlisle spoke.

I gave them all a small wave, not sure what I was supposed to do beyond that. Silence descended as everyone almost seemed frozen in place, not sure what to do next.

"Well, seeming everyone's been introduced I'm headed out. I need to hunt. Edward, would you like to come with me?" It was Tanya who spoke, not even sparing me a glance as her eyes honed in on the person in question. "It seemed that your hunt has been interrupted."

He shrugged before waving off her offer. "I'll go again some time later." He promised.

Tanya merely nodded before turning and heading out the door, her two sisters following behind her, although they both smiled as they did. Eleazar and Carmen were the next to leave which meant only the Cullens were left.

"So you eat fish, at least you don't smell like one." It was Emmett who spoke, chuckling at his own comment.

Now that there were less people crowded in the room, it was easier to focus on them. I could feel them now without it being overwhelming.

Emmett had a friendly mind and I could almost smell the scent of the forest and of gun powder. Rosalie was as different as she could be from him. Hers reminded me of a diamond, beautiful and hard but with their own shine to them. Esme's mind had a feeling of home that was similar to Carlisles but it had both the scent and feel of a new born child.

At Emmett's comment, Esme tsked, giving Emmett a look. He chuckled again, almost shyly before he grinned at me again.

The interaction was one that I hadn't seen in a while and one I hadn't seen at all as a vampire. It reminded my of moment between me and my mother. Did she consider him her son? Well, if she was Carlisle mate that would make her the matriarch

Perhaps it was the fact that I didn't know these people at all or that I hadn't really met any other vampires than from my original coven but I felt awkward, not sure how I was supposed to act around these people. The only person I felt vaguely comfortable around was really Alice. As I realized that, I wondered why I had even come here with Edward in the first place. Probably because of his eyes but now that most of my curiosity had been satisfied, I was left with little else. Suddenly I was longing to be in the ocean, to feel the silky caress of the water. My eyes flickered to the door.

"Would you like to stay for a while?" My eyes landed on Esme who was the one that had spoken. "Technically this is the Denali's home but I'm sure they wouldn't mind if we extended the invitation to you."  
I could feel my head tilting slightly in curiosity. Why would they do that? They hardly even knew me.

"Thank you for that kindness." I said before shaking my head. "But my home right now is in the sea."

She paused before nodding, not seeming offended by my rejection. "Of course, I understand. It must be overwhelming to meet all these people, especially being so young."

I gave her a slight nod before turning to Carlisle. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to finish this conversation so that I can leave." I explained.

His eyes widened slightly, his brow knitting together. "Are you sure that is wise?" He asked. "You are still young and if something happens, it could attract the attention of some people that you would rather not have. Usually, a newborn is not left to go by themselves until they are a year old."

"I understand that, Laurent informed me of this but I have been fine this past month and I'm sure I will be in the future as well." I told him, sure that he was talking about the Volturi. I'm sure his words were meant kindly but my mistrust flared again and I wondered if they were aligned with the Volturi. If so I'm not sure staying around here would be the best idea.

Alice walked up to me, taking my hand in hers. "If it would be okay, I'd like to come with you." She said, her voice sincere. "I think I would like to explore this diet of yours and I would love the chance to become better friends with you."

Her words reminded me of what she had said back when I was human, right before she had left for the last time. Despite my mistrust, when I heard her statement, I felt the yearning for companionship. I really didn't want to go back to being alone, I wanted a friend but right now I wasn't ready to accept seven at once. If Alice came with me, it would be on my turf, on a place where I was comfortable being myself. It would also mean that it would just be us and I wouldn't feel compelled or confused on how to act around everyone else.

The more I thought about her request, the more I wanted her to come until I was fully grinning at her, the first one I had done since I had arrived her. "I would love it if you came with me but I don't know how long I will be gone or if I will even come back." I told her seriously.

Despite meeting these people, I felt no immediate connection to stay. I had only come up here to perfect my control, it was a place that was isolated and have few people. More importantly, as soon as I had, I was planning on leaving, of going back to my family.

"That's okay." Alice said, although Jasper didn't look the happiest about it. "I can always come back sometime in the future, it will be like a vacation."  
Her enthusiasm made me excited for the future and I couldn't help it. "Just wait until you see everything." I said, sounding hyper. I haven't been like this since I was first awoken. "It's so beautiful with all the different the creatures and there are so many shipwrecks to explore. We'll have so much fun."

I could see Edward grinning at my reaction from the corner of my eye and as I saw it, I schooled my features. I didn't like exposing myself like this to people I didn't know. I cleared my throat before turning to Carlisle. "So what else was there that you wanted to know?"


	9. Chapter 9: The Offer of Friendship

Chapter 9: The Offer of Friendship

It had turned out that Carlisle didn't have much more to ask, mostly he just wanted to know more about my diet. Edward seemed interested in it as well but this time around he was able to contain his enthusiasm so he didn't end up going another small speech about the possibilities of different animals. It was too bad, it was kind of amusing to see. Still after everything was sorted out Alice had supplied us with what she had deemed necessary. Apparently this consisted of bathing suits and a set of clothes that would be more durable in the water. She had tried bringing a bag of things like hair supplies and makeup but after I told her that it would weigh her down, she had left them behind, not to mention it would all be useless in the water. She had tried to argue that they made waterproof mascara for that same reason but I wasn't having any of it. If she was coming with me then we were doing it my way. We were taking only the things we wore. In the end I did end up snatching an elastic from her, this way I could braid my hair so it wouldn't be a rats nest the next time I came out of the water.

As soon as the sun set we were off, following the trail that Edward and I had made on the way to their residence. We came to a cliff overlooking the gray ocean and I stopped, looking over my shoulder for Alice to come into view. As soon as she did, I threw her a grin before launching myself into the air, doing flips on my way down as I headed towards the water. I landed with an almighty splash and it closed over my head. I breathed in, feeling better now that I had the familiar feeling of water back in my lungs

Alice wasn't far behind and joined me in the water after a series of her own flips. I could tell though that she was holding her breath to keep the water out of her lungs.

I resurfaced so that I would be able to talk to her and actually hear something back, it wasn't the best trying to have a one-way conversation. "So what do you want to do first?" I asked, treading water.

"How about a hunt?" she asked. "I need to go within the next couple days anyways so now seems like a good time."

I nodded. "Okay, something you should know though is that you can't hunt normal here. You won't be able to smell anything other than salt. Open your mouth and taste the water instead." I explained. "Is there anything you prefer?"

She shrugged. "What's your favorite?" She questioned.

"Well, sharks are good, they are a bit sweeter but there aren't many up here. Sea lions aren't bad but they do have a greasiness to their taste, same as seals." I informed her.

"How about we just go with whatever we can find." She suggested, shrugging her shoulders as she did.

I nodded before diving down into the water, my mouth immediately opening a small amount to taste the water. Alice followed although I'm sure she didn't even know exactly what she was looking for yet.

Well, the first thing we would have to do would be to prefect Alice's swim. I had come to find out during my month in the water that swimming similar to a dolphin, or a mermaid was really the best option. Swimming in the any of the normal stroke always seemed to slow me down. The doggy paddle wasn't fast enough, the frog kick you actually paused in the water slightly and it was hard to do a normal front stroke while underneath the water. By basically pretending you were a mermaid, it was easier and continuous. You didn't have to stop to bring your arms up and it wasn't like we ever got tired. It especially helped if I kept my hands down at my sides and used them kind of like fins. It gave me more control over what I was doing and even made my body more streamlined so I could go faster in the water.

I told Alice all this with my gift and when she had got the hang out if, I turned my attention back to the hunt. In the end, it was a sea lion that was the first thing we came across.

 _Have fun._ I thought, shooting it at Alice. I had enough time to see her roll her eyes, a slight grin on her lips before the sea lion turned on her. I had come to find that sea lions could be extremely territorial and this one was the biggest I had come across so far, it would provide a decent sized meal. Yet, it was oddly amusing watching Alice interact with it.

I had never had the opportunity to really see someone hunt. With James and Victoria, they kind of just ditched me to do my own thing before meeting back up. Even with Laurent, he had made sure to eat while I was busy or to go off by himself, but watching Alice, it was impossible to not see the beauty in it.

Probably because of her visions, she was able to glide out of the way each time the sea lion swam towards her, it's mouth agape. It looked less like hunting and more like a strangely intimate dance, despite the danger that would have been there if she was human. Still, it wasn't long before Alice's teeth clamped onto the skin of the sea lion, it's struggles intensifying both as it tried to throw her off and as it felt the pain. I could taste the blood in the water within seconds.

Alice didn't take long to finish her meal and when she did, she pushed the carcass away with a look similar to disgust.

I cracked a smile, knowing that it was kind of hard to get used to. I didn't know what land animals tasted like but I could remember my first shark and how I had almost released it. I swam towards the carcass, destroying it before surfacing again. When I did it was to see Alice avidly wiping her tongue as if to get the taste off.

I burst into laughter, the first time I had in a while. "Not your favorite flavor?" I asked, practically chocking on the water, if I could anyways.

"Ugh, that's how I imagine McDonald's burgers to taste. It was so salty and so greasy." She told me, causing another laugh.

"I can see the resemblance."

"Does everything taste like that?" She asked, eyes wide.

I shook my head, trying not to laugh again. "Like I said, sharks are better but I haven't come across many this far north. We would have to swim south a ways." I explained.

She didn't seem to like my answer if her scrunched up face was anything to go by.

"Let's find some more sea lions then." She said, glaring as she allowed herself to sink back into the water.

I bit my lip, a grin stretching across my lips as I joined her. We swam next to each other for a while longer as we hunted down our next prey. It wasn't much longer that we came across a small killer whale and the hunt proceeded much like the one before it had, although she didn't look as disgusted as before when she finished.

 _Getting used to the taste?_ I asked, grinning at her as I did. She rolled her eyes, but smiled back none the less before pointing towards the surface. This was starting to get old, we would have to come up with some signals to communicate while in the water. Perhaps I would be learning sign language any ways.

"So what do you do next?" Alice asked, brushing her hair away from her face. It must have been harder for her when it came to that. Her hair wasn't really long enough to put up and there was nothing that could be done in the water about it.

"Well, I don't really know." I told her truthfully. "The past month I've mostly worried about perfecting my hunting as I went north. We could find some ship wrecks to explore or look for a place to stay. There are plenty of underwater caves in the area."

Although they weren't needed when it came to resting, sometimes it was nice just to lay somewhere and zone out, to be still for once when you were constantly moving. It was also time for me to sit around and really focus on my human memories, not to mention it provided cover for the sun in case we swam to high.

"Whatever you want to do." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "You lead the way."

"How about we find a cave first then. We can figure out some signals so that we can communicate without having to surface every time we want to say something." I suggested.

She nodded and I dove, heading back towards the land this time. Like always, it didn't take nearly as long to swim back to land as it did to swim away from it. When the jagged edges of cliff could be seen from above and the wall of rock from below, we started hunting for openings. There were some small ones and beyond that even a few that led to caves but they were all under water. We would need one that opened up and had an air pocket so we could actually talk.

Thankfully it was our sixth try that led to a cave that met those requirements. We found a small opening that was almost hidden by rocks that were poking out from the sand. After squeezing past it, easier for Alice to do than it was for me, we followed the tunnel. There were a few twists and turns before eventually it opened up and I could see through the surface of the water. The cavern above us was high with stalagmites hanging above our heads. There must have been holes somewhere in the ceiling because there was a faint trace of moonlight was shining through at various angles. It was nice and seemed to make the cave a tad more homey, even though the light wasn't technically needed.

I pulled myself out of the water, sitting on the ledge. Alice did the same and already I could feel the temperature around me cooling the water on my clothes. I was sure soon I would have ice forming.

"Are these the kind of places that you been staying in?" Alice asked, sounding curious. Her eyes were scanning the walls and I was thankful that there at least wasn't any disgust or disappointment in her gaze.

"Yeah, but usually they don't have pockets like these." I told her. "I haven't really needed them before this."

"It must have been lonely." She suggested, meeting my eyes. It was the first I had really gotten a good look at her eyes and I could already see the difference in them. Where they had been gold before, they were now almost brown in color. Perhaps after another week and another hunt, the gold would be completely gone.

I almost wanted to see what her eyes would be like now. I wonder if she fed more if it would change it or if she would really have to wait. I wanted to know what my eyes would be like after the red wasn't affecting them.

Still, I managed to contain the urge as I focused back on her earlier comment. "Sometimes it was but I was really more worried about my diet. I'm sure as soon as I have control it will be different but until then, I have something to focus on." I told her, truthfully.

"I don't like seeing you wandering around like this." She said, looking at her hands as she did.

I could feel my eyebrows rising as I heard her words. "What do you mean?" I asked, curiously. I mean it wasn't like it was that bad.

She bit her lip, hesitating before she met my eyes. "When I was turned, I was alone. I don't know who created me or why. Carlisle says that if it weren't for my visions, I probably would have gone crazy. As it was, I saw Jasper and knew he was meant for me, I saw the Cullens and knew they would be family. Still, it was lonely and hard before I found them."

I could feel my eyes prickling with tears that would never shed, I had discovered that soon after I had left the others. Still, I did the only thing I could think of doing and it came directly from my memories of Alisha. I reached out and pulled Alice into a hug.

She seemed surprised at first before she was hugging me back. Apparently she didn't catch everything with those visions of hers. "I'm sorry you were alone like that." I said, turning my head so I wouldn't get her hair in my mouth as I spoke. "But honestly it hasn't been that bad. After the first night, I promised myself that after I was in control, I would find my sister again. I miss her and I guess she is my driving force right now."

Alice pulled back, slightly surprised. "But you can't go back there. It would put everyone in danger." Her eyes were wide as she spoke, her hands gripping my shoulders.

"But you don't understand, she needs me. We lost our mom last summer, I can't just leave her now. They probably all think I'm dead." I argued.

"That's exactly why you can't, imagine what would happen, the investigations and the questions, especially with how you look now." Her eyes weren't leaving mine as if she was trying to convey the importance of this. "You can't ever go back to the people you knew."

"But," I stuttered, not sure what to say other than I needed to. I knew it was feeble but I wouldn't leave my sister behind, or my dad for that matter. They both needed me.

"Those people that turned you, didn't they tell you anything?" She asked. Her voice was becoming shrill and an edge of hysteria was slowly creeping in.

"What do you mean?" I asked, sounding skeptical to my own ears.

"There are rules for our kind and if you don't follow them, they'll kill you. Don't you know about the Volturi?"

"Sure, big group of people that are kind of like royalty." I said, at least that was what Laurent had told me.

"They aren't just that. They are similar to the police for our kind as well. When people don't follow the rules, they hunt them down and kill them. You can't tell anybody about us, you can't expose us, when you hunt you need to be discrete and you can't ever go back to your family." She explained. "If they know that you have done that, they'll destroy you."

Although the information was new and slightly alarming, I was more interested in the fear that Alice herself seemed to be exuding. "Why does any of this matter to you anyways?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound to rude when I did.

"Because, you can't die." She said, her voice shooting higher than normal. She looked stricken as well, her face slightly paler than normal.

"No offense but why do you care?" I asked, genuinely curious. Maybe it was the diet that the Cullens were on but it seemed to change them. I hadn't met any other like them, so caring even when they didn't even know me. Either that or James's coven wasn't a normal one. Somehow, I felt like it was probably both.

"I care because you're my friend." She said it matter-of-factually, adding a little nod at the end as if to reaffirm her statement. It only left me slightly bewildered.

She pulled back slightly, her hands wringing together again. "I know this might sound odd but I knew you before you even moved to Forks. I had visions of you, your family and your future. If we had stayed, there was a chance that we would have become good friends and to tell you the truth, even though it's different now, I still want us to be friends. Rosalie is amazing but she is more of a sister than anything. You would be my first real friend, that is if you wanted to."

The exuberance was clear in her voice and her eyes were pleading but there was still an edge of hesitation in them. Was she worried that I wouldn't want to be friend with her? I remembered our last day of school together. I could almost recall the exact note of confidence she held in her voice as she stated that we could have been friends. Well, now we were finally getting the chance.

At the same time, I found myself feeling lighter than I had been in a while. I loved being in the ocean and seeing all the wonderful things but none of that could make up for the solitude. Because of what I was, all the creatures around me either swam away, sensing the danger, or turned to fight. It wasn't like I could make a pet out of any of them. What was I going to do? Play fetch the seaweed with a fish?

I could just imagine it. Go get the seaweed, go get it! Yeah, you go it, now come back. Come on. No, don't swim away! Come back fishy.

I snorted at the thought but I could happily admit that right now, with the offer of having a real friend that would swim and come back, everything seemed a bit better.

"Alice, I would love to be friends with you." I told her truthfully and I couldn't fight the smile that was splitting across my face.

She tackled me as she squealed, giving me a fierce hug. I couldn't help but laugh at her actions and I realized that despite her desire to be friends, perhaps I was already thinking of her as a little sister.

"This is going to be amazing." She stated, pulling back. Her eyes were slightly glazed over but her arms were still moving erratically as she talked. "We can go shopping and have girl talk. I can show you how to hunt on land and don't even try to weasel you're way out of it. I tried your style of hunting and now you need to try mine."

"Okay, okay, calm down." I said, although I was near giggling at her behaviors again. "I'm sure we can find plenty of time to do all that in the future but we still have plenty of the ocean to explore."

Her shoulders dropped slightly in disappointment before she broke into a smile once again. "That's fine. We'll still have a huge amount of fun and that is all that matters so how about we start working on those hand signals."

"Do you know anything about sign-language then?" I asked.

It took the rest of the night for Alice to depart her knowledge of sign-language to me. Although it was easy to grasp, thank god for that vampire memory, there were still a lot of motions and some that were incredible similar.

"I didn't think that they offered sign-language at Forks high school." I told her, after a few hours of this.

"They don't." She said simply.

We had gotten to the point were I was making my own sentences with the words I knew so I was motioning while I spoke. "Then how did you learn?"

She sighed before launching into the explanation. "Jasper and I joined the other in 1950, to be exact. In every place we move, we try to stay about five to ten years, depending on the suspicion of everyone around us. Sometimes someone will notice something different about us and rather than letting them figure it out, we just leave. I've been to about seven different high schools now and I've even gotten a minor in sign-language through a college I went to."

"Holy shit." I said, my hands pausing, I didn't know the words for those although I could always actually spell them out.

"That's nothing. The others have each been to about ten different school and Carlisle is the real surprise. He's was changed back in the 1660's."

I was gaping. "He must be close to four hundred years old." I said, almost sounding choked. Even Laurent had only been around three hundred.

"He will be soon but even he isn't the oldest." She told me matter-of-factually. "The Denali sisters are all around 1000 years old. They didn't keep as detailed records back then. All the stories and myths about succubi are originated from them though. The oldest of the Volturi were all made around 1200 BC and even then, Carlisle says that he knows of a coven that were made back in 2500 BC."

That would make them almost five thousand years old. Even with my mind, I somehow couldn't wrap my mind around that. "Alice, how old can vampires be?" I asked.

"Well, we don't die unless someone kills us if that's what your asking. Our life span is technically limitless but there aren't many that can boast of actually being that old. Sooner or later, people usually do tend to get into trouble and someone stronger sets it right." She informed me.

I wasn't sure what to say or do. I guess it was obvious that we didn't age or die easily but still, it was incredibly surprising just how long we could live for if we were careful. Imagine all the changes that someone could see, all the knowledge they could hold. It was amazing, but on the flip side, everyone they knew would no longer exist. I couldn't imagine outliving Alisha, my family. It would be devastating to watch everyone I knew die off one by one.

Alice must have known where my thoughts were because she spoke again. "Usually vampires will find their mates or form bonds with others, we are not solitary creatures by nature. Having those relationships helps, everyday seems to go a bit faster and before you know it, decades have passed. I've been with Jasper for over fifty years but even now, I still remember the first time I ever saw him and I still feel the exact same. Everyday is like experiencing first love over again."

Her eyes had gone dreamy as she talked, although she still signed as she did. I'm sure it wasn't intentional at this point though.

"It sounds like a fairy tale." I said, not sure if that was supposed to be good or bad. All stories were amazing and inspiring but then again, it wasn't like they actually came true. I mean the whole glass slipper thing was just crazy and hair long enough to climb up? Please, imagine the split ends on those.

I hid my chuckle at my girl moment as I focused back on Alice.

"When you find your mate, it is." She said, still slightly lost but she seemed to be coming back to reality. "I'm sure some day you'll see what it is like."

I snorted loudly at that, I couldn't help it. I had absolutely no dating experience when I was human so I can't really imagine dating going well as a vampire.

She elbowed me while throwing a look my way. "Come on, everyone has a mate. It's just on how long it takes to find them."  
"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say." I couldn't resisted rolling my eyes as I said so.

She shook her head in disbelief at my behavior and I chuckled.

"So are you ready to go?" I asked, moving to the edge of the pool. "I'm sure we know enough to get by right now and I saw a shipwreck a few hours swim from here that would be fun to check out. It looked really old, like 1800's old."

Alice grinned at the thought and jumped into the pool, hardly making a splash this time. I dived after her, following the tunnel back out to the ocean. When we emerged, I took the lead, swimming just above the bottom of the ocean.

In total, it took about five hours to get to the boat but that was with stopping to watch a pod of whales swim by. They were beautiful and so huge that we just had to watch. As we came upon the ship, the water around us was almost navy blue and that was despite the sun that was shining high above us.

Thankfully, where the boat had sunk wasn't very deep but it was still deep enough so that humans had never found it. The mast was still up and tatters of clothe even hung from it. They shifted slightly in the current but the overall effect was that it was still sailing, only at the bottom of the ocean this time. It was a cool sight but also slightly eerie.

The bow spirit, I'm pretty sure that's what it is called, was carved to look like a dolphin, the tail merging with the hull. The nose and one of the fins were completely broken off though and there was a large hole near the tail, maybe one of the reasons why it had sunk in the first place.

I swam down, glancing in the hole to see what must have been the bottom of the ship, perhaps where they had stored everything. There were still a few crates but the all looked waterlogged and when I touched them, the wood nearly fell to pieces.

I glanced back, looking for Alice but I couldn't see her. I swam around the ship, coming over the side to see Alice at the wheel of the ship, floating a few inches above the deck. She caught my eye and grinned before quickly signing, "Imagine me with a big pirate hat."

I laughed, practically choking on the water as I did.

 _Let's explore the boat, maybe we'll find one._ I thought at her. Her smile widened even further before she swam over to a hatch and disappeared into the depth of the boat.

 _You were supposed to wait for me._ I sent it to her, sure she would be laughing when she heard it. When I finally caught up with her, she was slipping through a door. I followed behind to see a fairly large room that had a few things tossed around it. There was what looked to be an old desk and a piece of board sticking out from the wall. Could it have been a bed? There were also remains of a chair but everything was covered with a fine layer of dust and some things even had bits of coral growing from them, not to mention a few little fishes in the room that were giving us a wide berth as they swam by.

Alice swam over to the other side of the room, having seen a chest that seemed to still be intact. Gently, she opened the lid but even then, the hinges still broke apart, the cover falling to the ground. The first thing I saw was a piece of clothe, but when Alice pulled it away, it revealed two old hand guns and a sword.

I leaned forward, inspecting them closer as Alice reached for the sword. It was too large for her but it wasn't like she would have trouble moving it or picking it up. She grinned, signing with one hand this time. "It might not be a pirate hat, but I'm keeping it."

I smiled, shaking my head as I turned, going to explore more of the ship. I wonder what else we could find.

I glanced at Alice behind me and she smiled, her eyes alight with the adventure we were on, the sword clutched in her hand.

Perhaps if all the Cullens were like Alice, it might be a good idea to be friends with them. Still, I think I would have to take it slow. After my last coven, hanging around with seven vampires seemed even a little to much for me all at once. Either way, I knew that I would never have another dull day ahead of me what with Alice in my life.

Hoped you enjoyed. Next chapter we will get to see a little more about Annabell's life in the ocean before she goes to meet the Cullens again.


	10. Update

Okay, so here is the deal. I'm going to be stating my senior year of college soon. Because I'll be going to this full time, on top of working my three part-time jobs, I won't have as much time to do writing for fun like with these stories. Fate Be Damned was the original tory so I'll be focusing what free time I have on that one. I'm not saying that I'm going to just leave this one as it is, just that it won't be updated as regularly. I'll still try to do my best but I can't guarantee the weekly posting and I'll be lucky if I can even do bi-weekly.

So, with that out of the way I want to tell everyone that I'm sorry this story won't be updated as much as the other one but at least I'm not abandoning it. Hopefully I will be able to post the next chapter soon though but after that it will be sporadic. Again, I'm really sorry about this but something had to give and unfortunately it was this story.

I guess I'll see all of you when I post the next chapter, which I hope will be soon.

Until then.


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